The World of the Moon
by Pureauthor
Summary: Thirty: "Arcueid Brunestud, will you marry me?" /ArcxShiki/
1. A Quiet Dinner

World of the Moon

(X)

One: A Quiet Dinner

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

(X)

"Dinner? At our house?"

The person posing this question was a bespectacled youth of fairly average build and complexion. Well, upon closer observation one might have noticed a certain paleness of skin that could be written off as not spending enough time in the sun. If one had stuck around for a bit longer, too, they might have noticed a tenseness of spirit around him, one that tended to unnerve normal people.

It was, therefore, fortunate that Shiki Tohno and 'normality' had not been on speaking terms for quite a while, despite initial appearances to the contrary.

The person he was posing the question _to_, on the other hand, would not be considered normal, at least not by the standards of the average male. With her flowing black hair, piercing blue eyes and delicate features, Akiha Tohno was the sort of beauty that could turn heads on the street as she walked by.

The head of the Tohno household raised her teacup to her lips and nodded before taking a long sip. "Yes," she affirmed. "Dinner, Nii-san. This coming Wednesday sounds like a good time for that, does it not?"

Shiki sat back, his own cup of tea forgotten as he pondered this new development. Whether or not it was an _unwelcome_ one was something he had yet to figure out, but it was certainly surprising.

"Why, Akiha?" he finally questioned. "I thought you hated Arcueid."

"Hate is an awfully strong word," his sister's features clouded over. "It's true that I am not fond of her, and that if I could I'd have you break off all relations with her," a pause as she sipped her tea and gave her brother a resigned look. "However, I do not think that a likely outcome at all."

This, Shiki reflected, was one of those times where it was in everybody's interests if he simply kept quiet and continued to listen.

"Honestly, Nii-san. She's a bad influence. Ever since you've started seeing her you keep going out at night and coming home in the early hours of morning."

"It's the height of summer, Akiha. You know she gets lethargic during the day, so it's really a good compromise for us to meet during the evenings."

"My point exactly. Therefore," Akiha continued smoothly. "All things considered, I'd much rather your meetings with the vampire be in a time and place where I can make sure you're not getting into any trouble. That way, everyone is happy. That sounds good, doesn't it?"

Shiki was silent for a long moment.

"Oh, come on, Nii-san," Akiha's dissatisfied expression was growing deeper by the moment. "It's just for one night."

There was something… Shiki couldn't quite identify it, but _something_ was screaming at him about this being a horrifically bad idea. The counterbalance to that, of course, was that if he didn't offer some sort of response soon, Akiha would be the one screaming instead, and that was probably a good deal worse.

And so he sighed, nodded, and plastered a smile on his face. "All right, Akiha. I'll call Arcueid and tell her the details."

(X)

As soon as Shiki had departed from the sitting room, Akiha's somewhat frustrated expression rapidly morphed into one of delighted malice.

"Hmhmhm…" she chuckled to herself. That whole thing had gone splendidly.

"So, Shiki-san took the bait, Akiha-sama?" Kohaku smiled as she entered a room with a fresh pot of steaming tea in hand.

"Of course. And he doesn't suspect a thing," Akiha leaned back in contentment as Kohaku helped refill her cup with more of the strong red brew.

_Soon… soon I'll have my revenge on you for stealing __Nii-san__ away, you damn vampire._

Had it not been entirely beneath her dignity, Akiha might have been tempted to let loose an Evil Laugh.

…

…

Oh what the heck, she could indulge once in a while.

"Mwahahahahahaaa!"

(X)

"Eh? Little Sister invited me over for dinner?" Arcueid's surprised voice sounded over the phone.

"Yeah, I know," Shiki nodded, although of course Arcueid couldn't see him doing that. "I don't get it either."

"This is great, Shiki!" after the initial hump of surprise was over, Arcueid was her usual cheerful self again, and as usual, wasn't paying any heed whatsoever to Shiki's concerns. "Little Sister's finally started to accept me as part of the family!"

"Ah… well… I wouldn't say that exactly…" he began to say, but was cut off by Arcueid's delighted laugh. "I mean, I know we planned for a quiet night at your room, but-"

"Oh, no no no. Going to your house is fine! Better, even!" Shiki blinked. Was it just him, or had Arcueid's reply been… a little hasty? Before he could follow that line of thought to its conclusion, she spoke up again.

"Hey, I should probably wear something special for this, right? I mean, it's not every day I come over to your house for something like this."

"I don't think you need to go to that much trouble, Ar-" Shiki was cut off by a strange sound in the background. Almost like a series of loud thumps. "Arcueid? What was that?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing," Arcueid's voice sounded distracted. "Anyway, tell Little Sister I'll definitely be there! Six is a good time, right?" and before Shiki could make any other sort of response, the line went dead.

Shiki shook his head, but found a slight smile on his face that refused to go away regardless. Arcueid's enthusiasm really was infectious, he thought as he replaced the phone on the receiver and headed off to his room.

_Maybe this will turn out to be a great night after all._

Yeah. And maybe the sun would turn blue tomorrow, too.

(X)

As Arcueid hung up the phone, a beaming smile covered her face that would have caused Shiki to go weak at the knees had he seen it. An invitation to dinner! This was special!

The smile quickly vanished, however, as she took note of her room's _other_ occupant. One that had arrived suddenly and would hopefully be departing just as suddenly.

"Be careful, Ciel!" she snapped as she stalked over and began picking up a large collection of books that had tumbled to the floor. "You can't just leave your stuff lying all over the place like that. It's no wonder everyone keeps bumping into them all the time."

The elite agent of the Church's Burial Agency glared at the vampire princess as she folded her arms. "It's not like I have anywhere else to put them! Honestly, if you're so rich, why didn't you just rent out a bigger apartment?"

Arcueid folded her arms and uttered a small 'hmph'. "You know, I don't think you have the right to talk like that when you're the one freeloading in my house."

The effect was instantaneous. Ciel went beet red and her fists clenched. "It's not like I had a choice!" she hissed. "You think I _wanted_ those people to have to come fumigate my whole apartment block?"

"Well you didn't need to move in with _me_ either," Arcueid said mildly. "Don't any of your classmates in that school you go to have rooms you could slum with in the meantime?"

CIel gave the vampire a sideways glance. "Oh? Are you saying you _want_ me to move in with Tohno-kun?" and Arcueid found herself in one of those rare moments where she was flustered by Ciel's remarks.

"Someone _else_!"

Ciel sighed and rubbed her head. "To be honest, I don't know many other students at the school. Maybe Inui-kun, but his home is even more cramped than yours. Besides," a bright smile pasted itself onto her face. "I knew you wouldn't refuse me. After you'd given me the time to make my request, of course."

Arcueid sighed and rubbed her forehead as she remembered the Burial Agent showing up at her front door yesterday with several bulky bags of luggage in tow. She still wasn't sure why she'd given in and said yes – probably Shiki's constant pleas for the two of them to get along better was starting to get to her. Either way, Ciel was now sharing a room with her, her presence a constant drain on her good moods.

"This is ridiculous," Arcueid muttered. "A vampire and a vampire hunter living in the same apartment."

"It's not any more ridiculous than you dating Tohno-kun," Ciel's voice held more than a hint of frost in it.

"You leave Shiki out of this!"

"But how can I? I have to make sure you're not drawing him down some dark, unwholesome path." Ciel's smile was angelic

"…"

"Speaking of which, wasn't that Tohno-kun on the phone just now? Something about having dinner at the mansion with him?"

"Yes, it was Little Sister's idea – and you're not coming." Arcueid aimed a glare at Ciel to drive this point home.

"Please. As if I would want to spend more time in the presence of Tohno-san," Ciel said dismissively. "Why would she even want you over there anyway? She hates you even more than she hates me."

"People change," Arcueid folded her arms. "I've been acting as nice as possible to Little Sister lately, so maybe she's also coming around?"

Ciel's only response was a snort of derisive laughter.

(X)

Wednesday afternoon proved to be sweltering, as usual. By the time Shiki had made it home from school his uniform was drenched in sweat.

_Hardly a condition I want to be seeing Arcueid in_, he thought to himself as he hurried into the cool interior of the mention. Of course knowing her she probably wouldn't notice or mind, but he wanted to make sure that he looked presentable for her.

The fact that Akiha would be present tonight probably had something to do with it, too.

He glanced at the clock as he set his bag on his study table – he had about two hours until Arcueid was supposed to arrive. He should probably have a bath first-

Just then, the door to his room creaked open and Len padded into her room on her four paws, eyes doing a quick sweep of the room as if to assure herself that nothing had changed since she'd been in here this morning.

"Oh, hello Len," Shiki greeted his familiar and pet as she sauntered in. He knew her well enough not to take the lack of reply as anything more than Len's usual reticence. A smile quirked his lips as he watched the cat jump up onto his bed, directly in the way of sunbeam.

"So," he said idly. "Will you be joining us for dinner tonight?"

At this, Len's ears perked up.

"Arcueid's coming over too. She'll probably be glad to see you and how well you've gotten used to life in the mansion, don't you think?"

Len remained silent for several long seconds, her tail flicking lazily in the wind the only indication that she approved of the chance to see Arcueid again. However, just as Shiki was about to open his mouth to speak a second time, Len froze, her entire body tensing. Before he could say anything else the familiar had already bolted out of the open window, running along the tree branches outside his room.

"Wha- Len!" Shiki called out, already knowing it was useless. Whatever it was that had spooked Len had left her in a blind panic.

With a sigh, he turned and left the room. There was still that bath to think about…

(X)

As Shiki sat at his desk, listlessly going through his homework, he couldn't help shake a creeping sense of unease. Well, it wasn't that difficult to figure out where the problem lay. Akiha and Arcueid in the same room tended to make for colourful situations that tended to be bad for his heart in the long run.

Well, there was that. But even with the obvious problem in front of his eyes, Shiki couldn't shake a deeper feeling of dread. Something that chilled him to the very roots of his soul, even though he couldn't place it.

With a sigh, he set his pen on the table and stood from his chair. No sense worrying about something like that. It was nearly time for Arcueid to arrive, anyway, he'd best get to the sitting room where he could welcome her.

Slowly, he descended the front stairs of the mansion, pausing for a brief instant to glance at the elaborately carved double doors.

Only for Kohaku to open them and step inside, carrying a pair of gardening shears.

"Ah, Kohaku-san?"

"Shiki-san!" Kohaku gave him one of her usual cheery smiles. "Did you come down to wait for Arcueid-san? That's really dedicated of you."

"No. Well, yes, but that's not the point. Kohaku," Shiki glanced over his shoulder at the direction of the kitchen. "Shouldn't you be cooking dinner right now?"

"Ah." Kohaku's smile froze.

A long silence stretched across the two of them in the lobby. In the silence, Shiki could hear the sound of _someone_ hard at work in the kitchen.

The nameless dread suddenly intensified.

"Kohaku-san…" Shiki began in a very low, voice. "If you're not the one cooking dinner, then who is?"

"Aha, well, yes, it's a bit of a funny story, really…" Kohaku's eternal smile never faded, although right now it was starting to look rather strained. "Akiha-sama thought it would be a good idea to let Hisui practice her cooking skills, just for tonight and… Shiki-san?"

Shiki had gone still as his mind processed the bombshell that Kohaku had just dropped on him.

Akiha had set him up and perfectly, because his mind, trapped in the realm of human decency and virtue, had never imagined she would stoop to such an extent, to such a vile act as – as...

Feeding Arcueid. _Hisui's_ cooking.

"Kohaku… you knew?" he finally managed to mumble weakly.

"I'm sorry, Shiki-san. Akiha-sama swore me to secrecy. And if you think about it, it'll make for a good practical joke, won't it?" Was she trying to find a bright spot in this situation?

Useless. This was useless. What he had to do was contact Arcueid and tell her that tonight's dinner was cancelled – preferably before Akiha realized that he'd gotten wind of her plans. Right – first things fir-

_Ding dong!_ The cute, innocuous chime of the doorbell jolted Shiki out of his planning.

"Ara ara," Kohaku glanced over her shoulder. "It looks like Arcueid-san has arrived."

Cursing his luck, Shiki hurried over to the door, yanking it open to reveal a beaming Arcueid waving at him.

"Hi, Shiki! I know I'm a little early, but-" she was cut off as Shiki seized her by the shoulders.

"Arcueid, RUN! You have to get away from here! It's too late for me, but you can still save yourself! You have to-"

"Huh? What's going on, Shiki? Why are you acting all weird?" Arcueid stared back at him in confusion.

"Yes, Nii-san. Why _are_ you behaving so oddly?" came another voice from behind him, and Shiki froze. Turning slowly, he found himself gazing into the eyes of a black-haired demon. Trembling, he opened his mouth to voice his outrage, but no words came out.

"Ah, Little Sister!" Shiki's apparent bout of insanity already forgotten, Arcueid bounded forward. "Thanks for inviting me to dinner!"

The smile that graced her lips appeared nothing short of demonic to Shiki. She hadn't even bothered to yell at Arcueid not to call her 'Little Sister', a further sign of the looming disaster. "Don't worry, Arcueid-san," she said airily. "It was my pleasure."

Arcueid nodded enthusiastically and headed deeper into the mansion, leaving Shiki to stare forlornly at her back. What were they going to do now?

(X)

It was only when settled at the dining table and awaiting Hisui to arrive with the first of what could tentatively be referred to as 'dishes' that Shiki realized that by trapping Arcueid into coming into a dinner where Hisui would be cooking, Akiha was now forced to suffer through the same thing herself.

He stared at her impassive face, trying to discern what she thought she would gain out of this. Was this simply a case of cutting her nose off to spite her face?

An awkward silence descended over the kitchen table as Shiki silently directed all of his available animosity at his sister and Akiha directed most of hers towards Arcueid, who was –

"Why do we need three different forks?"

Busy fiddling with the utensils on the table.

"Because each separate portion of the meal requires its own set," Akiha said carefully, not bothering to hide her satisfaction at knowing something more than the eight-hundred year-old vampire. "Or at least it would normally, but I decided that it might be better if today's meal was a little simpler."

"Apologies, Akiha-sama," Kohaku said from behind her. "Setting the table like that is a force of habit."

"Mm," Akiha's noncommittal murmur was cut off as the doors to the dining room swung open, revealing Hisui carrying several plates of… of…

As Shiki's dish was placed in front of him, he stared, uncomprehending at what appeared to be part-fish, part-chicken, and part-mushroom.

"I thought a more Western meal might be a good idea. You have no objections, Arcueid-san?"

"Of course not! I'm sure whatever food you make will be delicious! Isn't that right, Shiki?"

For a brief eternal moment, Shiki contemplated screaming at Arcueid of all the culinary atrocities he had seen produced by Hisui's hands over the years, but several things stopped him. First and most obvious was Akiha shooting him a death glare that threatened horrible, bloody vengeance if he so much as breathed a word of what was in store for Arcueid.

That alone would not have been enough to produce anything more than a slight hesitation on his part, but the fact that Hisui was standing _right there_ effectively put a roadblock on any such ideas. Bringing up her lack of cooking prowess was a sore spot at the best of times, and knowing Hisui he had absolutely no doubt that she had worked her fingers to the bone in an attempt to make a good meal for Arcueid, and he didn't want to throw that in her face in front of everyone.

Trapped in between a set of impossible choices, Shiki cast about in the vain hope of finding something, anything that would help him, but that merely resulted in his gaze landing on the food on his plate yet again.

Dear Lord in Heaven, was it _staring back_ at him?

"Well, shall we begin?" the slight tremor in Akiha's voice was probably something Arcueid wouldn't have noticed, but as Shiki turned to look at her he wondered if she'd just realized that maybe this wasn't a price worth paying just to make Arcueid suffer after all.

"Yes, let's!" Arc's cheery voice cut through Shiki's own musings, and before his horrified eyes, she scooped a huge dollop of the… stuff, and proceeded to stuff it into her mouth. Hisui's cooking being the sort of thing best ingested in small doses (and with liberal amounts of water in between spoonfuls).

"A- Arc!" Concern for his girlfriend temporarily overrode all other concerns and Shiki instinctively reached out a hand to her. "Are you oka-"

Arcueid's eyes had gone wide, and her jaws moved mechanically up and down as she slowly chewed at the food in her mouth. Silence had descended on the table as everyone present stared at Arcueid in horrible anticipation of the response.

Finally, Arcueid swallowed her food and took a deep breath as she stared down at her plate.

"Shiki…" her voice was soft.

"Arcueid, I'm so sorry, I didn't-"

"This is _fantastic_."

"- and I promise it'll never – huh, what?" Shiki stared at his girlfriend, at a loss for words. Given that her eyes were practically bulging out of her skull, Akiha was similarly flabbergasted at Arcueid's proclamation.

"C –come again?" Shiki ventured.

"I said, this is fantastic!" Arcueid was back in full bubbly mode now. "No wonder Little Sister hired her as a maid, I've never tasted cooking like this! I mean, it manages to be sweet and sour and salty and bitter _all at the same time_!" as she finished, she happily dug into the food in front of her again.

Stunned by this sudden turn of good fortune, Shiki sat still for several long seconds, simply grateful for an apparent disaster having been averted (although he had to admit that his ego just taken a bruising on the basis of the fact that Arcueid, who always liked it when Shiki cooked for her, apparently had no qualms about eating Hisui's cooking, which called his own skills into question). In fact, maybe he could-

"So… is my cooking satisfactory, Arcueid-sama?" Hisui's hesitant voice.

"Yes it is!" Arcueid flashed her a beaming smile. "It's fantastic!"

A relieved sigh escaped Hisui's composed features. "I'm glad for that, Arcueid-sama. When Akiha-sama told me that she wanted me to cook dinner for you tonight, I was so worried I would not be able to create a good enough dish."

Shiki stole a glance at Akiha, who looked about equal parts outraged at Arcueid inadvertently ruining her plans and uneasy about having to follow suit and at some point actually eat the food in front of her. Kohaku, meanwhile, simply appeared to be enjoying herself immensely.

"Hey, Arcueid," Shiki spoke up after a moment. "Would you like some of my food? I think Hisui gave me a little too much…"

"Really?" Arcueid's face lit up for a moment before falling again. "But I can't, Shiki. You're still a growing boy, you need to be sure to eat a lot."

Well, so much for that idea. Sighing internally, he picked up his fork and got ready to-

"In that case, you may have some of mine," Akiha spoke up. "I'm normally a light eater, anyway."

"Okay! Thanks, Little Sister!"

"Don't call me little sister," Akiha snapped.

Standing behind Akiha, Kohaku raised one sleeve to her face to hide a smile.

(X)

Sitting on the couch and sipping at a strong brew of black tea, Shiki reflected that all in all, today could have gone far worse. Akiha was in a bad mood, but those came by often enough that he knew how to handle them by now, and Arcueid was in a good mood, which usually served to ensure that _he_ was in a good mood too.

"Oh, look at the time," Akiha said as she glanced up at the clock. "Ten thirty already? We should be getting to bed soon, Nii-san."

"Aw, but it's still early for me!" Arcueid made a dissatisfied face.

"I appreciate that, but Nii-san has school tomorrow," Akiha's voice was firm.

"Arcueid, I think she's right," Shiki said softly. "I _am_ rather tired."

The vampire nodded reluctantly. "All right, then. Good night, Little Sister. Thanks for everything!"

"Don't call me –" Akiha began, but then she slumped back in her seat. "No, nevermind. Good night, Arcueid-san."

"Good bye, Kohaku! Good bye, Hisui! Thanks for cooking for me!"

"Farewell, Arcueid-sama." Hisui bowed deeply.

"See you again, Arcueid-san."

"C'mon, Arcueid," Shiki said. "I'll see you to the front door."

Once they were outside, Arcueid turned to Shiki. "Hey, Shiki."

"Hm? What's the matter, Arcueid?"

"Just now, during dinner…"

Shiki tensed up. "What about it?" he asked, trying to keep a collected voice.

"You called me Arc," she was looking at him with her head tilted to the side. "I don't think you've ever called me that before?"

"Oh… that," Shiki rubbed the back of his head. "It was just a spur of the moment thing, you know?" he hesitated. "Why? Should I not do it again?"

"What? Oh, no, no." Arcueid's smile lit up her face. "Actually, I think I'd like it if you called me that more often."

Shiki chuckled. "Okay. I'll try to remember that, Arc."

Her smile grew wider, and she leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the lips. "Good night, Shiki."

"Good night, Arc."

And with that, Arcueid headed off into the night.

Shiki stood still for several long seconds before turning back into the mansion, ready to deal with an upset Akiha, an ever-smiling Kohaku and quiet Hisui.

Tonight had been a good one, after all.

(X)

Next: Purity


	2. Purity

The World of the Moon

* * *

Two: Purity

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

At the doorway of the place he had come to recognize as his home, Shiki hesitated. Now that he'd gone out, achieved what he set out to do, and was almost on the cusp of completing the whole thing, a sudden rush of uneasiness came over him. What if he had been too late? What if she…

The land around him was quiet. Well, of course it would be. He'd chosen this place specifically for its isolation, after all. She had agreed, too. Teetering on the brink as she was, she knew better than to trust herself near humans.

Behind his blindfolded eyes, Shiki contemplated how he had to look right now. A youth of average build, normal if not for the bandages wound around his face. In one hand he clutched a paper bag that appeared to have been anything more than the grocery shopping. A thin smile quirked his lips. Well, in some ways it wasn't too inaccurate a descriptor.

With a sigh he raised his hand, pushing the door open as he stepped through the doorway.

And immediately he could tell that something was wrong. Under his foot he could feel that the floor had had a chunk gouged out of it. Hesitating for a brief moment, he reached up and unwound the bandages from his eyes in one smooth motion.

A scene of chaos greeted him. Every piece of furniture, so far as he could see, had been smashed and shattered. Claw marks adorned the walls, the sheer number of them a mute testimony to the frenzy that their creator had been driven to. Up ahead, the only light bulb that was still in working order flickered. Instinctively, he reached for the light switch by the doorway, and as he flicked it, the light extinguished itself, the cold light of the moon the only source of illumination now.

In some ways, he wondered if he should be grateful to look at this destruction around him. It at least indicated that she was still fighting it, still holding on – if just barely. Then again, he had no point of reference to _when_ she'd done this, and he'd been gone for a while already…

"Arcueid?" he called into the darkness as he stepped forward.

There was a soft clatter from the far corner of the room.

"Shi – ki?" a halting, clipped voice, as if the speaker had to fight to force those words out of her mouth.

"Yes, it's me," he said again, gingerly stepping around a table that had been split lengthwise. "I'm back."

"Don't – come…" there was the audible sound of someone swallowing. "Any closer."

He knew she was warning him for his own sake, but he continued forward, moving slowly to the side. The upper half of her torso was hidden in darkness, but Shiki could see her legs drawn close her chest. They were trembling. With fear or exhaustion? Shiki couldn't tell.

"… I got the fruit," he said softly. "It was there – just like you said it would be."

A pause, heady with anticipation. Then-

"Please… leave it… there."

Silently, Shiki opened the bag, drawing out the crimson fruit found within the heart of the Forest of Einnashe. It seemed to emit a glow of its own in the darkness of the room. He hadn't looked at it much ever since he'd departed from the forest. Slowly, deliberately, he placed it on the ground before taking several steps back.

Silence for a long moment. Then, a scrabbling noise as Arcueid forced unhelpful limbs into action and crawled forward. As more of her features came into the moonlight, Shiki had to force himself not to draw in a sharp breath. Her hair was a ragged mess, her eyes wild and staring, and her face was pinched with the exertion of forcing her bloodlust down.

Reaching out, she grasped the blood fruit with one hand, bringing it to her mouth. As he watched, Shiki couldn't help but wonder how, driven and desperate as she was, she could _still_ make the act of eating a fruit look like something elegant and ceremonial.

Aside from the sound of Arcueid chewing and swallowing, there was silence in the room. When she had finally finished eating, she drew in deep breath before letting it out again, as if physically expelling the hurt and pain from her body.

"Arcueid? How do you feel?" Shiki questioned hesitantly.

The True Ancestor paused, staring down at her own hands as if she couldn't believe what she was about to say. "I'm… my bloodlust is… it's fading. It…" her body was starting to shiver again, and Shiki could see tears starting to leak from the corners of her eyes. "It worked, ShikI! It worked!"

And then suddenly there was a blur of motion and Arcueid had her arms wrapped around him, her body moulding perfectly with his, and she was laughing and crying and coughing all at the same time. And Shiki realized that he was laughing too, all the tension and danger and horrors of the past week having been _worth it_, so worth it, because Arcueid was all right, and she was smiling and laughing again.

As he clung on tightly to her, he remembered other encounters too, and he chuckled. "Oh yeah. Ciel-senpai sends her regards."

"Eh? When'd you run into her?"

"When I was dealing with the Forest, of course. I guess it was only natural the Church would send their own agents to handle it. Merem Solomon was there too."

"Was he," Arcueid's voice was a soft murmur.

"Arc?"

"Shiki…" she pulled away from him to look him in the eye. "Thank you. You saved me again."

"Well, I promised, didn't I? I'd take responsibility for you, no matter what."

With her smile, bright enough that it could rival even the sun, Arcueid was just so beautiful.

No, Shiki corrected himself. More than that. She was just… so _pure_.

He averted his gaze slightly to the room around him. His eyes, by now too powerful for even the Mystic Eye Killer glasses that Sensei had given him, could see past the veil of the world's normalcy, and at the creeping blacks lines and dots that signified the death of everything. The bandages he now bound his eyes in was but a fleeting respite – it was a cruel choice to have to choose between a world of death and a world of blackness. Whenever his eyes were uncovered, everywhere he looked, he saw a world filled with death.

Everywhere.

Except.

Under the pale light of the moon, only Arcueid was deathless.

Under the pale light of the moon, only Arcueid was pure.

Staring into her face, at the soft skin that glowed with ethereal beauty in the moonlight, Shiki thanked whatever powers existed that had seen fit to bless him with the chance to meet and know Arcueid. Staring into the unblemished perfection of her face, Shiki could forget, however, temporarily, the lines of death.

_Where would I be if I had never met you?_ The question lingered in his mind for a long moment before he shook his head and closed his eyes with a satisfied sigh.

"Hm? Shiki, is something the matter?"

"No, it's just…" he chuckled. "We probably can't stay here tonight. You really did a number on this place, Arcueid."

"!" The faint hint of a blush on her cheeks. "I – it's not like I could help it, ShikI! It was just… so painful…" she trailed off.

"I know. I'm sorry for reminding you about it," Shiki said softly. "But we should probably go somewhere else – find a hotel for the night or something."

"Yeah," she nodded. "Let's do that."

After retying his bandages, Shiki felt Arcueid grasp his hand.

"Come on, Shiki," Arcueid's voice sounded close to him. "I haven't been out of the house in so long, I can't wait to go out again, even if it's just for a bit!"

He chuckled, nodded once, and vampire and human exited the house together.

And then there was only the moonlight, pouring in through the windows.

* * *

Thank you for reading.

Next: Ever After


	3. Ever After

The World of the Moon

* * *

Three: Ever After

Before I get into the story proper, I'd like to provide some context for this. What I will be doing is, essentially, a novelization of the last chapter of the manga adaptation of Tsukihime. This in terms of creativity this really isn't doing much – I'd like to take this chance to just see how I do with descriptive writing.

With that said, let's get started, and I hope you all enjoy this.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Silence reigned in the halls of the Millenium Castle.

None had intruded within the walls for untold centuries. Its sole occupant, the Princess of the True Ancestors, sat in endless slumber within the central chamber.

The silence was total. There was no movement anywhere within the bastion, not even the slightest of breezes.

And then, with a sound of crumbling brick, a small section of the outermost wall gave way.

Pausing for a brief moment to ensure that the last of the rocks had fallen, the oriental youth standing in the newly-made entryway replaced his glasses on his face and entered the ancient castle.

* * *

The location of the Castle had been chosen in part for its inaccessibility. Hidden both from the watchful eyes of the humans and from the bloodthirsty desires of the Dead Apostles, the ultimate stronghold of the True Ancestors was supposed to be nigh-impossible to find, let alone breach.

Which had made it all the more ironic that their final downfall had come from within.

Of course, the Church had long known of the location of the Castle. Back before the White Princess had come into being, the number of Demon Lords active had forced both the Church and the True Ancestors into an uneasy truce, with priests and magi travelling to the forbidding stronghold to study and plan alongside those born of the planet. But after the incident with the Serpent and the White Princess, there had no longer been any reason for a member of a Church to return to this place.

Until now.

Draped in a cloak of indeterminate shape and colour, Ciel stared down at the bleak landscape, and heaved a brief sigh. She could hear in her mind the question she'd asked, both to him and herself, when they had begun this long journey.

"I ask of you again. Do you truly wish to go?"

She'd known his answer before he'd opened his mouth, but to be frank, she hadn't been so sure about her own. Doubt had plagued her long after they'd set out, all the way up until this moment.

Up until she could gaze upon the bastion and imagine what was transpiring within the cold, silent hallways.

_He should have reached the outer wall by now, at least. He'll finally have what he desired after so long._

Strange.

It was strange.

As she imagined the scene of the reunion in their mind, she was surprised to find a brief smile quirk her lips, surprised to realize that she could really find it within her heart to hope that the two of them would be able to be happy together at long last.

"… What is this." She let out a short sigh and turned away, although the smile never left her face. _I should start setting up the camp to prepare for his… no, for __**their**__ return._

"Ahh, I really am just far too kind for my own good."

* * *

Slowly, he traced the black, spiderlike line down the door. As he did so, the ancient stone that had stood undisturbed for centuries crumbled away to dust, and he stepped through the doorway, glancing around the room.

_Not here, either._

With a sigh and a nod, he turned and departed, continuing his search through the many hallways of the castle. Though the structure was vast and maze-like, the fact that any location he'd searched bore obvious marks of his intrusion meant that he was in no danger of going through the same location twice.

Pausing as he came to yet another set of chains barring his way, he drew his knife and hacked them apart with swift, precise strokes.

The reinforced metal had been built to withstand blasts of magic that could have scoured the land around the bastion clean. But against the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception they fell as if they had been made of twisted paper.

_They really went overboard with barricading this place, didn't they?_ The boy rubbed his forehead ruefully. _I guess they wouldn't want her to be disturbed by any random straggler that chanced on this place, but this still seems a little extreme._ He paused as he wandered by a window, his train of thought derailed as he caught sight of the pale white moon hanging in the sky above.

_It looks bigger here than it does back home. Is that why they built this castle here? Or is it the other way around, with the power of the True Ancestors influencing the appearance of the moon?_

After a brief moment, he shook his head and continued to make his way deeper into the castle. As interested as he might have been in the history of the True Ancestors, that could wait for another time.

Rounding a corner, he came across a stairway.

That was barricaded halfway down.

He sighed. _Of course it would be._

* * *

Halfway across the world, a girl sat in an easy chair, an open book on her lap, her thoughts a thousand miles away.

She was waiting. She had been waiting ever since he'd determined to set out on this foolhardy mission, first for him to realize that this was a stupid idea, and then when she'd realized that he was entirely serious and determined to go, for him to come back, whether alone or with that woman.

And in truth, she'd been waiting even longer. For years and years, for the brother she'd lost so many years ago, to come back to her side… She blinked and bit her lip as she felt the first prickling at her eyelashes.

_I am the head of the Tohno household. I am __**not**__ going to give in to maudlin sentimentality and cry!_ Taking a deep breath, she forced the hurt and pain back into the darkest reaches of her heart, the familiar mask she showed everyone firmly in place once more.

"Akiha-sama?" a quiet voice heralded the arrival of her maid, although she did not bother to turn her head to look. "Is anything the matter?"

She closed her eyes. "Nii-san has been gone for quite a while now, has he not?"

"Well, it's not like the place he's searching for would be easy to find, wouldn't it?" a gentle, encouraging smile. "You shouldn't worry about him – he knows how to take care of himself."

The girl shook her head, this simple action sending a rippling wave through the black hair that cascaded down her back. "Nii-san, take care of himself? You've got to be joking, Kohaku! He could collapse from his anemia at any moment and we wouldn't know!"

"If he'd collapsed, you'd be able to tell, wouldn't you? You're both connected, after all."

She knew that it was true, and yet that did not comfort her one bit. "I swear," she muttered to herself. "If that churchwoman doesn't take good care of him, I really _am_ going to disintegrate her when she shows her face."

A soft chuckle was her only response but that was interrupted by the door at the far end of the room sliding open.

"What is it, Hisui?" Akiha raised an eyebrow.

The maid bowed deeply, "Pardon my intrusion, but the decorations you ordered for the party have arrived."

"Have they? Well then, I'd better go inspect them," standing and brushing her hair back, she made to leave the room. _Be glad, Nii-san. When you return, I'm going to throw the best party you've ever had… __**after**__ I finish admonishing you for leaving me so long, of course._

* * *

Shiki Tohno did not at all like the feeling of being helpless.

He had felt helpless all those years ago as he'd stood in front of an inverted SHIKI shielding Akiha from his berserk fury. How he hadn't been able to do anything but provide a flimsy shield that had ultimately been tossed aside.

He had felt helpless when he had awakened in an unfamiliar bed, seeing black spidery lines crossing over everything and coming to the sudden and horrifying realization that the world around him was one that could be destroyed with nothing more than a finger or a knife.

He had felt helpless when he had come to after a brief blood haze to realize that he was staring down at the butchered, dismembered body of a woman he didn't know and yet had brutally murdered for no discernible reason.

He had felt helpless as he cradled the broken, dying body of the woman he loved, unable to save her, unable to do anything but watch the black, creeping lines of death cover her body with gruesome speed.

He had felt helpless as he had watched his sister suddenly suffer a massive, violent attack of her demon blood, and could do nothing but watch as both of his maids worked frantically to siphon off the excess energy and restore her to calmness.

And most of all, he had felt helpless as he'd stood in the classroom, in the dying rays of the sun, as he listened to her explain softly why they had to separate and never meet again. He had felt helpless then, so full of things to say and so many things he had wanted to do, but unable to articulate or demonstrate any of it.

And here, now, in the depths of the silent castle, he no longer felt helpless. As he moved through the darkened hallways, his footsteps echoing through long-abandoned rooms, he felt as if he was taking charge, taking action, ready to plot a course for his future.

And for hers.

It was reckless, for sure. He knew that she'd had a good reason for sealing herself away. He knew that was a very strong possibility that she would even be upset with him for not listening to her, and for coming all the way to wake her up again.

She might even be afraid. Alone, in such close proximity to a human, she might be unable to restrain herself from her bloodlust. She might even attack him.

But he knew that didn't matter.

_Just let me be with you. Let me show you how many more things there are in the world; so many things to see and feel and listen to and accomplish and enjoy. Let me take you to so many more places than we've been. Let me introduce you to my friends, my sister, the maids at the mansion._

_Let me see you smile._

_Let me make you happy._

And then abruptly, he halted in front of a pair of massive doors. Seemingly carved from a single barren slab of material he could not identify, they towered over him, sealed and barred with countless layers of chains.

And he knew his search was over.

* * *

Deep within the confines of her castle, she slept.

It was not a dreamless sleep. As she slept, she was dreaming.

There were so many things to dream about.

Things she remembered, things she had forgotten. Things she had wanted, things she had never thought about. Within the confines of her mind, she replayed them all, an endless and unchanging medley of the times she had spent under an endless sky, all of it returning back to him.

Her deepest, most hidden desires, brought forth from the placid pool of her memories, swirling up to the forefront for the briefest of moments before sinking back down into the depths.

_What if…?_

A classroom, painted burning orange and brilliant gold by the light of the setting sun. A young boy standing but two meters away from her – an impassable distance.

A promise kept.

A promise broken.

_What if I had…?_

A hand that had reached out to her, and an offer, softly spoken from the bottom of his heart.

A smile, a shake of the head, a final goodbye.

And that was all.

_What if I had reached out?_

_What if I had taken his hand?_

_What if I… could still be with him?_

More images, murkier now. These were not memories, but desires. Things they had never done, but things that she had wanted to do. Walking hand in hand along some lonely road. Sitting and watching a sunset together. Going to sleep, her body surrounded by his warmth.

_No. It is enough. I've already received many – so many things from him. Priceless moments of happiness. More than I've ever had in eight hundred years._

_That's why – it's enough._

Though she could not know it, a smile was on her sleeping face.

And then-

_Clink._

The sound of one of the countless chains that bound her being severed and falling uselessly to the floor.

More, now. Individual clinks merged together into a loud clattering as more and more of them fell away from her body. Her arms that had been suspended in the air by chains that were no longer there fell to her sides.

_What-_

Her first instinct, drilled into her by those who had bred her to be the ultimate living weapon, was to turn on the intruder that had so rudely jolted from her slumber, bringing claws and teeth to bear against anyone who had sought to attack her.

But that was all wrong. The person – whoever it was – had not triggered anything by striking her directly – merely the chains that had bound her in eternal sleep. And so she wavered for an endless moment, confused.

_What is going on?_

And then, the voice. Soft, filled with a familiar warmth, and her eyes snapped open in shock – and hope.

"Good morning, Arcueid."

* * *

As he had stepped into the chambers that held Arcueid, he had been surprised to see a single ray of sunlight shining down on her. Partly because he finally realized how long his search had taken, and partly because even within the deepest basement of the castle there had been a tunnel built to allow sunlight in at all.

And there, bound, sleeping and silent, was Arcueid Brunestud. Settled upon a throne, her figure wrapped by gleaming chains, her head had fallen forward towards her chest, so that her golden hair now partially covered her sleeping, serene face.

He didn't know how much time he spent simply staring at her sleeping form. Finally, he roused himself and began doing what had hoped was the correct way to wake her up – cutting away the chains that bound her to her throne and the castle around her.

Then, he settled herself down on one of the armrests of the throne, waiting as she began to stir.

"Good morning, Arcueid," he said softly, unsure if she could even hear him right now.

And then her eyes – her beautiful crimson eyes opened, and she stared around the room in shock before catching sight of him.

And only then did Shiki wonder what it had to look like to her to wake up and suddenly see him sitting there.

Her gaze roamed, uncomprehending, until it came to rest on the pile of chains that had had cut and tossed to one side.

"About that…" he began. "Sorry."

_It __**is**__ her castle after all._

"I'm really sorry," he continued. "I broke a whole lot of things on my way in."

She remained silent, merely staring.

"Still," he continued, remembering the interminable corridors he had walked down. "Isn't barricading _everything_ going a little overboard? Every door I found was locked and sealed off, all the stairs were blocked halfway, and those chains were literally _everywhere_! Do you know how hard it was to find this place at all?"

_Why am I yelling at her about how hard it was to break and enter this place? _He sighed._ Same reason I yell at her for anything, I guess._

And then, finally, she spoke. Her voice was confused and hesitant, as if she still didn't fully understand what she was seeing.

"Shiki," she was staring at him, mouth half open. "Why are you…"

He paused and heaved a sigh. Well, of course she would ask a question like that.

"After you left, I went around a bit. Did a few odd jobs," _killed a Dead Apostle or two_. "Called in some favours. Mostly it was for information. Ways to find you again, and to be with you somehow." _You would __**not**__ believe the number of crackpot theories there are out there on how to suppress a vampire's bloodlust._

He paused to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and his sheepish smile changed into something warmer, more inviting.

"After all, I did make a promise to you. I have to take responsibility for killing you, after all."

_No._

_No, that's not the reason I came here at all._

"But, the truth is…" Shiki took a deep breath, and speaking from the heart, he said. "I just want to be with you. I really enjoyed the time I spent with you. So that's why."

And then he reached out a hand to her once again. Just as he had done so long ago in the classroom. She had refused it then. Would she refuse it again?

"Arcueid. Let's live on together."

* * *

She stared at the hand. It was so… open. So inviting.

_I should refuse._

She knew that was the right thing to do. She didn't know if she could control her bloodlust any longer. And even if she accepted, even if she took his hand… she was a True Ancestor. A deathless being of the planet. Even if she took his hand now, there would only be heartbreak again in the future.

_I should refuse._

Her fingers were trembling. With fear or anticipation, she couldn't tell.

She'd been prepared, back in the classroom. She'd made her speech, prepared herself for the emotional blow, and left quickly, before he had the chance to see the tears forming in her eyes. But now, taken unawares, she was left hopelessly open.

_I should refuse._

When she'd left him, she'd done everything she could to convince herself that it was for the best. Shiki could move on with his life, and he'd never be in danger from her again. That was what she'd told herself.

But now Shiki was here. He'd tracked her down, and was standing in front of her again, offering her another chance at a normal life. Another chance to be with him.

Another chance at happiness.

She could feel tears threatening to spill from her eyes, and a trembling smile that nevertheless would not go away was etched on her face.

"Shiki…"

She should refuse.

But she knew that she never would. Never again.

"Shiki!" almost before she realized it, she had launched herself from her seat, arms outstretched, and then she had her arms around him in the tightest hug she could muster, holding him as close to her as she could.

"I'll take that as a yes," came his somewhat muffled voice, and that simple remark seemed like the funniest thing she had ever heard for some reason, and she burst into a peal of delighted laughter.

And when she had finally calmed down again, she snuggled her head into his chest. "Shiki," she murmured softly.

* * *

Standing on the castle ramparts and watching the sunrise, Shiki's arms were wrapped protectively around Arcueid.

_Whatever may happen from now on, let it._

She made some innocuous remark that he couldn't remember, and they both laughed again as his hand reached up, almost subconsciously, to grasp hers.

_Even when the end comes, it will be a happy one._

Suddenly, silence fell upon the two of them as they stood there, basking in the first rays of the morning, and staring at the stark mountains.

_Because we're together again._

_We're happy to be alive._

Taking a deep breath, he leaned close, pressing her body closer to his.

_That's all that matters._

* * *

Thank you for reading.

If you would, please review.

Next: Back Alley Alliance


	4. Back Alley Alliance

The World of the Moon

* * *

Four: Back Alley Alliance

* * *

The 'humorous' group of stories from this compilation will all follow loosely in being the same 'continuity' as the first story 'A Quiet Dinner'. Then again it's mostly in my own head and I think most of these such stories will stand on their own fine.

In any case, I hope you enjoy my work.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

As the noontime crowd hurried on their way to and away from their lunch breaks, a single figure made her way through the bustling streets, hands wrapped protectively around a small package.

As she walked along, several of the people paused to give her a second glance. Maybe it was the blue hair, or the red eyes, or the slightly-pointed years, but she definitely stood out in the crowd.

Still, that was all most afforded her. A glance. They were busy. They had things to do. And so they turned back to their own tasks, having already put the quiet little girl out of their minds.

Len didn't particularly care one way or the other about those people, especially since she had a set goal in mind. Keeping her steady pace, she headed down side streets and byways, and as she did so the crowds of people grew thinner until finally she was all alone.

At least, all alone in appearances.

Pausing at the entrance to a particular alleyway, Len glanced left and right once to assure herself that she was indeed alone before heading into the alleyway.

It severely reduced the chances of collateral damage, after all…

As she ventured into the back alley, the sound of a hard-soled shoe tapping against the ground caught her attention. Pausing for a long second, Len turned her head enough that she could glance behind her.

Shiki Nanaya was there, staring at her with eyes as cold and merciless as a frozen winter. A smile quirked one side of his face, looking all the more chilling by the way none of that smile reached his eyes at all.

"What have we here?" he began idly as he took a single step forward. "A little stray cat? Don't you know better than to go down dark alleyways on your own?"

In response, Len lifted both hands, holding out the tightly wrapped bundle up to the assassin. Nanaya blinked and took a half-step back, his finely honed senses catching a faint whiff of… of…

"Food?" he questioned slowly. Len nodded once.

Not only food, but _delicious_ food, from the smell of things. Nanaya's eyes narrowed as his half-remembered connection to Shiki Tohno conjured up a brief recollection of a perpetually smiling woman in a kimono humming while standing in front of a cooking wok.

And as if to punctuate the silence, a loud growl issued from Nanaya's belly, and for perhaps the first time ever, a light blush graced the assassin's cheeks.

"Get lost, kitten." he snapped. "Do you honestly think a son of the Nanaya clan would ever stoop so low as to accept charity from the familiar of that weak-"

_Smack._

The iceball, hurled with expert accuracy, crashed into the side of Nanaya's temple at a velocity that made it vaguely reminiscent of a shining meteor, sending him careening into the brick wall of the alley. Len merely blinked at this unexpected exchange and turned to regard the newcomer to their quiet conversation.

"_Baka_ Shiki!" White Len was, as usual, all boisterousness and bluster, and she marched right up to Len before yanking the package from her hands. "You can act like a proud idiot if _you_ want, but I haven't eaten a decent meal in three days!" she broke off her rant to glare at Len before turning away sulkily. Apparently she was willing to accept Len's gift, but not actually thank the quiet familiar.

"A- anyway," White Len muttered hastily. "If this is all you came here for, then be on your way, before I really do let Shiki kill you."

"…" Len tilted her head to one side, and White Len's eyes flashed in anger.

"Oh, just rent out an apartment and earn a real living? Silly me, why didn't I think of that? Oh wait, I _did_. And as soon as I can make a TATARI avatar that has a social security number, I'll get right back to you on that."

"I told you that you could just let me kill someone and then we can move into their place," Nanaya muttered as he sat back up, still massaging the spot where he had been hit.

"Yes, and have the White Princess and that church agent glued to our asses for the rest of our presumably short life," White Len sniffed. "This is why I do the planning for the both of us."

Len, meanwhile, had made a brief bow before turning and leaving the alleyway, her duty for the day discharged.

Had either Nanaya or White Len been watching closely, they might have seen the familiar rolling her eyes for the briefest of moments.

* * *

It was a common tale that vampires could not abide sunlight. That entering out into the harsh glow of the daystar would instantly cause them to shrivel away into a pile of ash. Bursting into flames beforehand was entirely optional.

There was, of course, some truth to this tale. Due to being, rather distantly, related to the Ultimate One of the Moon, vampires tended to be more comfortable under the silver light of the moon than the rays of the sun. Weaker vampires, still unused to their new existence, would quickly expire. The strong experienced mild discomfort and lethargy, especially when the summer sun shone hot overhead. Not enough to disable, just enough to annoy. And for the True Ancestors, this manifested mostly in a lethargy that was exceedingly difficult to shake off.

This served to go a fair bit towards explaining why a certain White Princess of the True Ancestors was currently in a bad mood as she stalked through the streets. She suppressed the urge to yawn as she glanced warily left and right.

As unhappy as she was with the midday heat, the main source of her bad mood came from _why_ she had been forced to come out like this.

She'd been planning on simply collecting her mail (a handwritten letter from Shiki) before retreating to the safety of her room to rest until the evening, where Shiki would come to pick her up and they would go for a nice quiet dinner at… well, they could decide that later. Maybe Café Ahnenerbe - she hadn't been there in a while.

But when she'd stepped into the lobby of her apartment, the harsh, prickling sensation along the back of her neck had instantly brought all her instincts into full alert. A sensation that was both familiar and unexpected, faint but there all the same.

Someone connected to Roa had been here. And recently, too.

Ciel would have been her first guess, of course, but she was currently at that school both she and Shiki attended, and besides, ever since Roa had been dealt with, Ciel's signature of being one of Roa's incarnations had faded, a sign of her truly becoming her own person now.

The next obvious conclusion would be that it was one of the leftover Dead that Ciel had somehow missed during her night patrols, but that didn't make sense either. They wouldn't be out in the middle of day – they simply didn't have the strength.

Which really only left one possibility: A vampire sired by Roa. Presumably a strong one, if it was wandering about during the daytime.

Something Arcueid Brunestud absolutely could not let slide.

And so here she was, weaving her way through the crowds, picking faint but unmistakeable traces of that vampire as she homed in on her target.

_How long has the vampire been active?_ There hadn't been lots of recent reports about mysterious murders, but then again Arcueid had to admit that she hadn't been paying that much attention anyway. She'd have to talk to Ciel about this later…

* * *

"Ow…" Satsuki Yumizuka winced as Sion gave her neck an experimental prod.

"Definitely sunburn," the alchemist nodded as she stood back and folded her arms. "I believe we've been over this before, Yumizuka-san. It was inadvisable for you to go out into the sunlight during midday."

Satsuki sighed as she saw Riesbyfe nodding in silent agreement. "I just… couldn't help it," she mumbled. "I wanted to go take a nap and hide, but then I saw Tohno-kun, and… and I wanted to know what he was walking around during the day for."

"Hm," Sion said in a noncommittal voice. "And did you uncover any interesting information on him?"

"No," Satsuki shook her head and winced in pain. "He just dropped off a letter in the mailbox of some apartment. I tried peeking at the mailbox, but there was no name on it. I wonder what that was all about, anyway."

"Well," Riesbyfe scratched her forehead. "We should probably get her some lotion for that burn… would it even work on Dead Apostles, though?"

"It can't hurt," Sion opined. "I'll go and-"

"Nah," the church Executor shook her head. "You don't do so good in sunlight either, Sion. I'll go."

"It's fine. I need to practice maintaining my composure under direct sunlight, anyway," and even Satsuki had to quirk a brief smile at Sion's obstinacy.

"Fine, fine," Riesbyfe gave an easy laugh. "We'll both go. Just stay there and wait, okay, Satsuki? Len should be back from her errand soon, so she can keep you company until we get back."

Satsuki merely nodded once as both Riesbyfe and Sion departed, and she slumped against the wall of the abandoned warehouse they were using as a temporary hideout – at least until nightfall.

Life had been… well, different, ever since she'd been turned into a vampire. The first couple of weeks had been ghastly as she had been forced to, by trial and error, discover the powers and limitations that her new existence had foisted for her.

Accidentally crushing a drinks can the first time she'd tried to get a drink had not been pleasant. Neither had venturing into sunlight for the first time. By far the most unsettling thing, however, had been the time she'd watched a toddler fall over and cut his arm – her usual instinct to walk over and help him up had been replaced by an incredible urge to fall on him and lap up the blood leaking out from his arm.

Well, the worst of that was over. After meeting Sion, the alchemist had managed to devise a formula that severely cut down on her need for blood, although she could never fully eradicate it. And now with Riesbyfe and Len having made friends with her – people who understood and empathized with her new existence, life really wasn't that bad anymore.

Well, not being able to see any of her old family or friends again was a bit of a blow. They'd probably thought she was dead now. It wasn't like she could actually show her face to any of them, though. They wouldn't understand.

Well, maybe Tohno-kun would. But… whenever she thought of meeting him again, in this state, her chest tightened with fear.

She sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. "I guess I really am a lousy vampire after all," she said, to the emptiness of the room.

Well, that was okay, too. She could just keep on growing. She had to be optimistic that life (or, well, unlife) would get better for her-

With that sound reminiscent of someone firing a shotgun in an enclosed space, the front door of the warehouse was blasted apart with a single punch, and standing in the doorway, fists clenched and crimson eyes narrowed, was a vision of death.

"Ah?" wasn't a particularly articulate response, but given the circumstances that really was the best Satsuki could manage at the moment. She wasn't particularly well-versed in the lore of the supernatural (Sion's attempts at explaining had a distressing tendency to leave the girl with her head spinning), but Satsuki didn't need anything but her basic instincts – both that of a vampire and a human – to realize something very important about the golden-haired woman in front of her.

She was dangerous. Incredibly, incredibly dangerous.

As superior in ability as Satsuki was to normal humans, so was this woman to her. In terms of strength, it would be absolutely no contest – the mere aura of her presence was already overpowering enough that Satsuki could feel her knees getting wobbly. Her every movement was poised and deliberate, that of a hunter who intends there to be no avenue of escape for her prey. And on the deepest, most instinctive level, Satsuki understood –

_A being like her was designed to kill beings like me._

She swallowed once and tried her best to keep her knees from shaking as she backed up. Only to run into the unyielding brick of the warehouse at her back. Briefly, she considered simply punching through the wall and making a run for it, but as soon as the thought came to her mind she dismissed it.

_She'd catch up in no time._

And besides, what if that woman _didn't_ chase her? Later, Sion and Riesbyfe would come back to this warehouse, and if they found this woman there. Maybe she'd leave after that. Maybe she'd-

The woman in front of her took one more step forward. Satsuki's eyes widened as she saw the fingers on her hands sharpen themselves into razor-sharp claws.

There was a single, eternal moment of complete stillness, and then the woman lunged.

"Hiiii-!" letting out a scream of fright, Satsuki squeezed her eyes shut and fell backwards, her only thought being a small prayer that it end painlessly.

And then –

"What -!" a small cry of surprise, and several very long seconds later, Satsuki came to stunning realization that she was still alive and not dead. Cautiously she winked one eye open –

To see Len standing in between her and the attacker, arms outstretched. The only more bizarre than that sight was the fact that the woman attacking her had indeed halted.

"Len," the woman spoke for the first time – surprising Satsuki with how clear her voice sounded. "What are you doing?"

Len's only response was to shake her head.

"Even if you've made friends with her, she's a Dead Apostle! I can't let anyone who drinks blood roam freely about town."

It was at this point that Satsuki worked up the nerve to try to defend herself – even if only verbally. "I – I don't drink that much." _About 200ccs a week, according to Sion?_

Evidently that had been the wrong thing to say. The woman's eyes narrowed again, and Satsuki felt not uncommonly like a fly trapped in a web.

"You said it, not me," and she made to move around Len again, stopping only when Len reached over to physically grasp the hem of her skirt.

"Len, what are you-" Following the familiar's pointed finger, the woman finally noticed several discarded blood bags lying on the ground. "Oh."

Unwilling to push her luck any further, Satsuki simply remained silent.

There was a significant pause as the woman shifted her gaze between Len, Satsuki, and the discarded blood. Finally, she heaved a sigh and took a step back.

"All right," she said as she folded her arms. "Now, tell me who you are and how you ended up in this town."

* * *

"Incredible!" the woman laughed from her sitting position besides Satsuki. "You managed to become a full-fledged vampire after only a single day? That's almost unheard of! You must be really lucky."

"Eheh…" Satsuki murmured to herself. The woman seemed pretty friendly, but no matter how much she laughed and smiled, Satsuki still couldn't forget the aura of deadliness that had flowed from her entire being just a few minutes earlier. Then again, Len seemed entirely comfortable in her presence now that she was no longer trying to kill Satsuki and had in fact went into cat form before curling up on the woman's lap for a nap.

"Still," the woman was frowning now. "You really should be more careful wandering about in broad daylight, especially since you're still not that strong. There's a crazy nun running around this place who'll chop your head off if you run into her; she's not nearly as merciful as I am."

Briefly, Satsuki reflected on the time that she considered her hometown of Misaki City to a safe, boring bastion of normality. It seemed really, really long ago, now."

"Thanks for the advice, I guess," Satsuki. "Today was a special occasion, anyway. I usually don't leave cover unless there's something important."

"Really? Then what made you come all the way to my apartment?"

"Oh, that was your apartment?" Satsuki sighed and leaned back against the wall. "I just saw someone I knew and I wondered what he was doing there.

"By the way," Satsuki continued. "I don't think I got your name yet."

"Oh, that's right," the woman flashed another bright smile. "My name's Arcueid Brunestud. Just call me Arcueid, though. I'm a True Ancestor vampire."

"… True Ancestor vampire? Aren't vampires just vampires?" Satsuki was very vaguely aware of Sion having made references to this sort of thing before, but all of Sion's attempts at an explanation had simply left her cross-eyed.

"Not really. True Ancestors are – or were – naturally occurring beings of the planet. When one of them drinks the blood of human, the resulting vampire is referred to as a Dead Apostle."

"Oh," _it was that simple? Why couldn't Sion just put it that way instead of going into some weird stuff about Crimson Moons and whatever?_ "I guess that means I'm a Dead Apostle, huh?"

"Yeah, and it's my job to be hunting people like you down so I can destroy them," and the casual way Arcueid mentioned this even as her smile never faded sent a trickle of ice down Satsuki's spine. "But, if you're a friend of Len's and you don't drink blood from humans, I guess I can let you go." With that, she gently placed Len on the ground beside her and stood to leave. "Don't go causing trouble, you hear? I wasn't kidding about that crazy nun."

Satsuki watched numbly as Arcueid headed for the doorway. "H – hold on!" she called out. "If you're supposed to be hunting down vampires, then why do you have an apartment in this city, anyway?"

Arcueid paused for a long moment before turning back to look at Satsuki and the young vampire had to resist the urge to gasp. She was already beautiful by any human's standards, but now her entire face appeared to be lit by a radiant glow that came from within.

"Because I've found something important to me."

* * *

"Shiiiiiki!" At the sound of the shout, he glanced and smiled as he caught sight of Arcueid.

"You're late," he said teasingly as she neared him.

"Only a little!" she replied, beaming. "Considering I had to come all the way from the other side of town, that's pretty good, isn't it?"

"Oh? Who was it who was so upset about me being late for our meetings in the park?" despite his admonishment, the smiles never left both their faces.

"Hey, that was different! Besides, I had things to do."

"Oh?" Shiki raised an eyebrow. "So what did you do today, Arc?"

She spun on her heel to face him and giggled. "Ehehe. I made a new friend today!"

"Is that so? You're going to have to introduce us sometime."

"No problem! But tonight…" she leaned over and grasped his hand. "Tonight is just the two of us."

"That's right," he nodded. "Just us two."

And they set off down the road together.

* * *

"Shay, Sashuki," Riesbyfe mumbled through a mouthful of food.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Let's not buy from this bakery again. Their muffins aren't very good."

"If you say so. Anyway, we should hurry up. Sion's waiting back at the garage."

There was a nod, and the two friends set off down the road.

* * *

This particular piece was harder to write than I thought it would be.

Thanks for reading.

Next: Summer Festival


	5. Summer Festival

The World of the Moon

* * *

Five: Summer Festival

* * *

You know, when I set a schedule out for myself that I'd post one new story a week for The World of the Moon, I didn't think the hard part would be _limiting_ myself to one story per week. I have so many story ideas!

Of course now that I've said that they're all going to dry up and go away in a day's time. And it's not like having an idea is the same as having a _good_ idea.

Anyway, the current story is loosely based on the Summer Festival sidestory that was included in Kagtesu Tohya.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

"What's taking Arcueid so long?" Shiki muttered as he paced the length of the sitting room, pausing for only the briefest of moments before pivoting on the heel of his foot and heading the other way.

"Shiki-sama, please be patient," from the doorway, Hisui attempted to calm her master down. "Nee-san is always very thorough when it comes to helping Akiha-sama dress, so it is only natural that she would take a while when helping Arcueid-sama too."

"Well, yeah, but it's been half an hour already!" Shiki glanced at the clock on the wall. "The festival will be starting soon."

Going to the festival had been his idea in the first place, of course. It had made perfect sense – a pleasant way to spend the evening with Arcueid, a way to give her more happy memories and another unforgettable experience.

And it would still be fine. Of course it would. He just had to wait for Arcueid to get herself ready first, though. And who knew-

"Ta – DAAA!" Kohaku's excited cry came from the far end of the room. "Another Kohaku special – my finest work yet! A masterpiece of craftsmanship and fashion. Shiki-san, feast your eyes on… Kimono Arcueid!"

Any reply (most likely to ask if Kohaku had been sampling some of the plants from her flower garden again) was cut off as Arcueid all but bounded into the room, arms spread, and Shiki found whatever potential reply being choked off in his throat.

Much in the same way that peanut butter and jelly was generally accepted as a good combination despite being considered weird at first glance, Arcueid in a kimono might not have originally seemed like a particularly good idea, due to the excitable girl not particularly fitting the image of the traditional demure Japanese maiden, but in practice, the effect was stunning.

"Well?" Arcueid asked as she gave an experimental twirl, the silken robes of her kimono fluttering around her. "It's a little hard to move in this, but the feel of the cloth is pretty nice, too! What do you think, Shiki?"

"I think you look… fantastic. And," he continued as the chiming of the grandfather clock brought his attention to the time. "That we'll be late for the festival if we don't leave now."

"Oh. Okay. Race you!" Arcueid declared, already turning towards the door.

"Huh? No – wait! Um, bye, Hisui, Kohaku-san. Don't wait up."

"I'll leave the side gate unlocked!" Kohaku promised as Shiki dashed by in an effort to keep up with his girlfriend.

"Please enjoy yourself, Shiki-sama," Hisui bowed deeply as he passed her.

* * *

"Haa… haa… you always… set your… haa… own pace, don't you?" Shiki gasped for breath as he struggled behind Arcueid, who was waiting patiently by the entrance to the shrine where the festival was being held. In response, she merely beamed at him.

"It got us here on time, didn't it? The exercise is good for you, anyway."

"Believe me, I get plenty of exercise whenever I do anything involving you," he countered as he finally managed to catch his breath and slow his heartbeat down to an acceptable rate.

Arcueid already wasn't paying attention, eyes roaming around the various stalls as if she was torn on where she wanted to go first.

"Wow, Shiki! I knew you told me there'd be a lot of stalls, but this is a _lot_ of stalls! How do they expect us to visit all of them?"

"Well, the end of summer festivals are always – hold on, did you say _all_ of the stalls?"

"Of course! I don't want to miss out on anything fun!" Arcueid grinned widely before turning to Shiki. "Is there a problem?"

"No, no problem," Shiki shook his head, and mentally thanked his lucky stars that he had had the presence of mind to draw extra money this morning.

* * *

"So, we're supposed to catch the goldfish with this?" Arcueid held up a _poi_, glancing at it curiously. "It looks like it'd break easily."

"Well, that's sort of the point," Shiki shrugged. "It's a game, so there's always going to be a chance of failing."

"Hm. Okay then," crouching over the tub, Arcueid hesitated for a long moment, her eyes silently tracking the movement of a single goldfish. Then, with a strike so fast Shiki could barely follow it –

"Yah!" Arcueid lashed out, drawing her hand in as quickly as it had come in, to reveal her grabbing… absolutely nothing. To add insult to injury, the violence of Arcueid's strike had torn open the _poi_.

Shiki chuckled nervously as Arcueid's stare on the _poi_ increased in ferocity, as if she could somehow _will_ the broken paper to be mended. The shopkeeper had apparently noticed too.

"Would you like one anyway, ma'am?"

"No," Arcueid said grumpily as she tossed the broken _poi_ aside. "Shiki?"

"Yes, yes," reining in a sigh, he drew out his wallet. "Another _poi_, please."

* * *

Arcueid strolled happily down the line of shops, a clear bag holding three goldfish clutched tightly in one hand, pausing only when something caught her eye – which, it had to be admitted, was just about everything. "Ooh, what's this?"

"It's a _taiyaki_ store. You've never eaten it before?"

"No, I don't think I have. Oh, they're shaped like fish! How cute!"

"Yeah, they're baked using pancake batter, and usually have red bean paste filling, but nowadays they put all sorts of things in there," Shiki waved his arm carelessly to indicate the rows of snacks that had been carefully arranged on the table. "So, just pick a filling you want to try."

"…"

"You want to try all of them, don't you."

Her only response to that was a bright smile, and his only response to _that_ was a sigh as he reached for his wallet again.

* * *

"You know, I wouldn't mind you buying quite so much if I wasn't the one who has to hold your stuff," Shiki muttered. Arcueid's latest acquisition had been a set of Matryoshka Dolls, and if Shiki was going to be honest, he had no idea what these were doing in a Japanese Summer Festival.

"Well, you offered," Arcueid pointed out mildly as she took careful aim with a tennis ball at the stack of cans at the far end of the booth.

That was true, he acknowledged, and it was probably not the smartest of ideas on his part. Ideals of chivalric behaviour notwithstanding (he could still remember the odd look Arcueid had given him the last time he'd hurried ahead to open a door for her), Arcueid was far stronger than he was and probably wouldn't mind carrying them in the least.

For now, though, she hurled her ball, knocking over four of the cans with one throw, netting her a stuffed toy. Shiki could remember admonishing Arcueid to hold back a little when it came to games like this, and he supposed that for her, this was indeed holding back.

"Well, missy, which want to do want? You've got the pick from any on this shelf!" the stallkeeper swept his arm out to indicate a row of stuffed toys, and Arcueid nodded.

"I'll take that one!" she said with no hesitation as she pointed to one of the dolls in particular. Shiki raised an eyebrow as he looked at it. It was a stuffed toy of what looked like an average Japanese schoolboy. The messy black hair, along with the sewed-on glasses, had the sum effect of making it look a bit like –

_Nah, it couldn't be._

"Well," he spoke up as he held up one hand, "let's get going. There're still a few more stalls you haven't been to yet."

"Sure!" Arcueid nodded happily and turned away.

"Hm? Arc," Shiki called after her. "You don't want me to hold that doll?"

She paused for a moment before turning back to him and shaking her head. "No, thanks. I want to keep him with me."

Then she turned and darted even further into the crowds, leaving Shiki struggling to keep up.

* * *

_One bag of goldfish, a toy drum set, the Matryoshka Doll set, a bag of tea leaves, a bag of marbles, a stuffed monkey, a miniature bonsai plant, a painted whistle, and two packets of sugar cookies that she apparently intends to eat in the comfort of her own room._ Shiki cupped his chin. _Yup, that looks like all of it._ With a nod, he began shovelling the not-so-fragile items of the lot into a single backpack that he could carry more easily.

A distant noise distracted him from his work, and he glanced up in time to see a vivid red flower bloom across the night sky, swiftly followed by sprays of orange, blue and green fire.

"Hey, Arc! The fireworks are start-" he turned to inform her of the fireworks, but not for the first time that night, the words died of in his throat. She was already staring up at them, and the blaze of colours that filled the night sky, an inscrutable expression on her face.

She was silent for once, simply staring at the spectacle far above her, eyes wide as if to take in as much of the sight as she possibly could. Staring at her, Shiki found himself wondering what was going through her mind just then.

Silently, he sidled closer to her, one of his hands reaching out to grasp hers. They remained this way for several more minutes, until at last the fireworks display began to wane.

"Hey, Shiki," her voice was soft.

"Hm?"

"There really are so many colours in the world, aren't there?"

"Yes," he nodded once. "Yes, there are."

* * *

The festival was all but over by now, with most of the people having left the grounds. The various stalls were now being packed up and pulled down, ready to be put away until the next time they were needed.

Settling himself on a stone bench with a noticeable sigh of relief, Shiki turned to Arcueid sitting beside him. "So, did you enjoy yourself, Arc?"

"Mm," she nodded once, although there was a bit of a lost-looking expression on her face.

"Arc? Is anything the matter?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It was just that I got to thinking… this Festival is supposed to mean that summer is over, right?"

"Yeah," _well, it's just summer,_ he almost said, but didn't.

_That's right. This is the first time Arcueid's ever spent an entire summer active._ He smiled. "You should be glad that summer is ending, right? The days won't be so hot anymore. It'll be cloudier, too, so we can go out more often during midday."

"Well," she began. "It's a little sad that summer is over. That's all. There were so many fun things to do during the summer… we went to so many different places, Shiki. Like the beach and that volleyball game. That was fun."

Shiki was silent for a few minutes before he spoke up again. "You know, that's the way things are in this world, Arc. When one thing ends, another begins."

"Huh?"

"You said summer is ending. That's true, but it also means that fall is starting, too. There'll be different things to do in the fall that you can't do during summer. It's own festivals and holidays. The roadside vendors will start selling different foods, too. Yeah," he nodded as he stared up at the endless sky. "That's the way this world is. There're always so many more things to go out and experience, the only problem is not having the time to do it all."

"That's true," Arcueid smiled. "I hadn't thought about it that way."

_That's right. And when we look back at it all, they'll be happy experiences that we shared together. If it's like that, I'm satisfied. I don't need anything more._

"Well, we should be heading back now," he said out loud.

"All right," she nodded as well as she stood. "I'll walk you back to your house."

"Are you sure? You don't need to-"

"Don't be silly. The night is my time, anyways."

"All right," he chuckled. "I'll be happy to accept, then."

And hand in hand, the two of them walked down the path into the night.

* * *

Thanks for reading.

I would appreciate it if you reviewed.

Next: The Sun and the Moon


	6. The Sun and the Moon

The World of the Moon

* * *

Six: The Sun and the Moon

* * *

If you guys haven't seen Carnival Phantasm yet, you should. It's so colourful and funny and etc.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Silence.

The moon hanging in the sky, far too large to be natural, flooded the empty hallways of the place with its silver light, giving the entire place an ethereal glow. In the complete silence, the place almost seemed hallowed ground, places where humans where not meant to set foot within.

A small sigh escaped Shiki's lips as he took his first step through the silver hallway, his footsteps echoing with seemingly unreasonable loudness in the empty hallways.

This was not the first time he had been here, after all.

He continued on his lonely journey for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality couldn't hang been more than a couple of minutes. Stepping in between deepest darkness and the cold light pouring in from the windows, he continued forward.

And then, past the open set of double doors, he was now in a vast, open chamber, more of the blinding moonlight coming down from the open ceiling to flood the entire place in glorious white - every pillar, statue, table, seeming to glow from within with this quiet radiance. A vista so stunning one could almost miss the single figure, sitting silently in the very centre of the massive room.

Almost. But Shiki had known she would be there, and taking in a deep breath, he set off towards the figure.

For a long time, she made no move to acknowledge his presence, keeping her back to him even as he approached her, his shoes tapping a steady rhythm onto the smooth floor. Finally, when he stood barely an arm's length from her, she turned her head, the flowing carpet of shining gold that was her hair shifting slightly as it fell from her bare shoulders. Her right eye stared at him, a single point of brilliant crimson in the silver light all around them.

"You," she opened her mouth, and her voice was like crystal, ringing clear and beautiful across the deafening silence that had existed just a moment before. "Are becoming a remarkably tiresome individual."

Shiki stared at Brunestud, the Ultimate One of the Moon, and sighed deeply. After a moment, he crossed by her side and sat on a chair facing hers on the small table that she had occupied. She made no attempt to stop him, merely looking at him all the while with an unflinching gaze.

After another long silence, she spoke up again. "Is it my imagination, or have you been appearing before me more frequently as of late?"

He looked away – away from her, away from the blinding beauty and elegance that reminded him so much of Arcueid and yet was so unlike her – at the far walls of the grand chamber. "It's not like I want to be here," he replied.

It wasn't like he showed up that often, either. Only when Arcueid had bad dreams and felt ill at ease. Only when he went to bed with her and held her close would he be returned to this impossible world.

"Yes," her voice dripped scorn. "Only when you bring the vessel with you to slumber, and even then, rarely so. That you appear before me as often as you do says enough about how you spend your nights."

A moment of awkward silence. Shiki shook his head. "Stop calling Arcueid a vessel."

"Should I? To me, that is what she is," her voice devoid of emotion or inflection, Brunestud rose. "A vessel. A channel for my rebirth into this world. What _you_ choose to think of her, I leave to your own discretion. Would you not do me the same favour?"

Shiki pushed the glasses up the bridge of his noise and heaved another sigh. "We keep going over the same things when we meet, don't we."

"I don't see that we have much else to talk about," was the reply.

"No, I suppose not," Shiki paused before a thought struck him. "Brunestud, what is it that you _do_ here?"

"Do?"

"How long have you spent in here? Surely you're not… bored?" the words seemed absurd even as they passed his lips, but Brunestud simply closed her eyes.

"For a long time, I was dormant within the vessel. It is only recently that I have begun to become aware," Brunestud cocked her head to one side. "Perhaps it is an indication that the time of my awakening is near. More likely though, is that your bringing her close to death was what allowed me to surface."

_Close to-_ A grimace made its way onto Shiki's face as he remembered the very first time he'd laid eyes on Arcueid – and the events that subsequently followed.

"As for your other question," the ethereal figure continued. "I observe. The vessel's experiences and emotions are something I can share in, even if I do not fully understand it." One eyebrow arched. "You would not be surprised to know how many of her thoughts concern you, I trust."

He could feel his neck becoming warm at that comment – at the realization of having a subconscious observer during his and Arcueid's most intimate moments.

There was another slight, mocking glance from the Ultimate One of the Moon, and then she turned to head down one of the hallways of the moonlit palace.

After a long moment, Shiki followed after her.

"You do not wish to return to your own world?" she did not turn to look at him.

"Of course I do," Shiki replied, not looking at her face. "But that'll only be when I wake up."

"There are ways to expedite the process," Brunestud's reply was calm, but Shiki did not miss how she flexed her fingers. After a brief second of hesitation, Shiki widened the distance between the two of them just a little more.

"You're so much like her, and so different at the same time," he mumbled under his breath.

"Indeed?" her reply dripped with sarcasm. "Was it the differences in our demeanour that gave that away?"

"It's more than that. Like the difference between the sun and the moon."

This time she did turn to look at him, the question already in her eyes before it formed on her lips. "How do you mean? She is of the moon, although in an imperfect form, and I _am_ the essence of the moon."

"I'm not talking about where you came from," reaching out, Shiki ran a hand across the cool, smooth stone of the palace wall. "Just… your… I don't know, your essence. You're like the moon, Brunestud," he stated. "And I know that's obvious, but your beauty is just like it – a cold distance, a mystery that no one can fathom."

A silence. Then, "and the vessel?"

"Arcueid's like the sun – radiant with a joy for life," unconsciously, a smile crossed Shiki's face. "There's just so much energy within her, waiting to spring forth, it sometimes feels like it'll consume me as well." _Well, I wouldn't have it any other way._

"She was not always such," was the only reply Brunestud made as they continued their walk.

They continued in silence for several more long minutes, until they rounded a corner –

And Shiki had to stifle a gasp of surprise.

They were now on a ledge that opened out to a stunning vista below him. As far as the eye could see stretched out an endless field of white flowers. Under the moonlight, their brilliance seemed almost enough to blind him.

Shiki stood staring for a long while, until he noticed that Brunestud was staring, not at the vast field, but at him. He turned back to meet her, a question in his eyes.

"Look there," a single, slender finger, pointing down towards a particular patch in the field on endless whiteness.

Shiki looked – straining his eyes as he did so.

And then he saw it.

Amidst the field of brilliant white, was a patch of red.

"Roses," Brunestud commented, a single eyebrow raised. "Curious, is it not?"

Shiki did not reply.

"Do you know why something like this would appear in the representation of the vessel's soul?" without waiting for an answer, Brunestud continued. "It was because of you. Your presence here. Where once the vessel was purity itself, now that purity is broken."

"…" Shiki continued to stare out over the endless meadow, before taking in a deep breath. "Is that so bad?"

"Pardon?"

"The pure white is beautiful, true," he nodded. "But the red looks nice too. The world is like that, isn't it? Filled with many different things." He lacked the words to articulate his point, but somehow, he got the feeling Brunestud understood anyway."

"Yes," she murmured, almost to herself. "The vessel has changed.

"Would that I could experience such a change, too."

And suddenly, for a brief moment, Brunestud no longer appeared to Shiki as the haughty and proud god of the moon, but as a faded shadow of herself, left to wander in silence and terrible loneliness.

"Brunestud, I –" His breath caught in his throat, and a strange trembling sensation filled his body.

"Ah. It appears you are being called into wakefulness again," she turned her crimson gaze upon him. "With any chance, you will not appear before me again. But I doubt I will be so fortunate."

No. Pulling himself, together, he spoke. "No, Brunestud. I _will_ come to see you once more. Even if it's not often. Even if I can't control when. I'll come again."

"Hm. You are a cruel one, to make such a threat." Another mocking glance.

"No, not a threat," he paused. The world was shifting now, distorting and fading as he hovered on the boundary between sleep and wakefulness. "A promise. A promise that… that I won't leave you alone."

For a moment, a look of blank surprise. And then, for the first time since he had met her, a tiny smile graced the ruby lips of Type Moon.

"Truly a tiresome individual. And yet, a most interesting one. Farewell… Shiki Tohno."

* * *

"Shiki?"

The call came from somewhere far away. Shiki stirred in the comfortable warmth of the bed. "Mmph?" he murmured.

"Shiki!" A light tap on his nose. Shaking his head, he finally opened his eyes to stay into the smiling face of Arcueid.

"Oh… hey, Arc," he mumbled sleepily as he fumbled for his glasses. It was daytime – and he didn't want to see that line that drew across her neck. "How was your rest?"

A delighted smile spread across her face. "It was wonderful! I always sleep well when I'm next to you, Shiki!"

He laughed as he sat up in the bed, placing his glasses across his face. "That's good to hear."

"You know, when I woke up, you were smiling in your sleep," Arcueid raised an eyebrow. "Did you have a good dream, Shiki?"

Shiki paused. "A good dream? … Yeah, I guess you could say that."

With a smile and a nod, Arcueid bounded away, throwing open the curtains and letting the sun into the room. Meanwhile, Shiki simply sat on the bed, staring at Arcueid.

The princess of the moon, bathed in golden sunlight.

He couldn't imagine a more beautiful vision.

* * *

Thank you for reading.

Please review.

Next: Need


	7. Need

The World of the Moon

* * *

Seven: Need

* * *

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Shiki knows Arcueid doesn't need him.

She's glad that he's here with her, that much is true. She smiles a lot when she's around him, and every time she does that his heart leaps a little. Buying her things, doing things for her, even something as simple as making sure he shows up on time for their meetings, just so he can see her eyes light up with delight and the smile spread across her face.

He told her before that he wanted to make her happy. What he didn't realize – not fully, anyway – was just how much of his being that desire would take up. How much time would be simply spent daydreaming about her, about what to say to her the next time they meet.

There's so much – so many things he wants to do for her. It's fortunate, really, that there's so much that she wants to do. So many places to go, so many things to see.

And he's happy, more than happy, to help show her this.

Arihiko laughs at him for this whenever the subject is brought up, calls him 'whipped'. He doesn't protest much, and never strongly, because deep down he knows that it's true.

He would do anything for her.

But, always, whenever he does this, whenever she's gushing with delight over some new trinket or place she's never been to before, he hangs back a little, watching her from afar, because there's always the little voice in the back of his mind that reminds him; she doesn't need him for this.

She doesn't need Shiki Tohno.

It's easy to help introduce someone to the wonders and delights of the world. So simple that even a child can do it, and even a baby can quickly learn how. Just go. Have fun. Make mistakes. Explore.

And so Arcueid really doesn't need Shiki for this.

It's not like there's anything special about him, really. Well, to be exact, the part about him that was special was not something that Arcueid would like about him. Women would not be attracted to the idea of him being able to kill anything under the sun, after all.

No, he's (mostly) an ordinary person. Certainly not someone that would stand out in a crowd, certainly not anything special that Arcueid needs.

Arcueid doesn't need him, really.

But he needs her.

So much of his life, so much of his self, has been invested in her. Everything about her drives him crazy – her smile, her laugh, the little twinkle in her eye whenever she discovers something, new, fun, _exciting_ in front of her that she never really noticed before. Through Arcueid's innocent delight, he's exploring the world all over again as well.

This didn't have to happen this way. That he's now with the vampire princess is pretty much a quirk of chance or fate. If he hadn't been sent home early that day, if Arcueid hadn't been walking down that particular street, if she hadn't decided to wait for him instead of hunting him down and exacting bloody vengeance that very night-

But he's getting ahead of himself. And he never really liked thinking about 'ifs', either.

Right now, for him, there's only Arcueid, and no one else.

Arcueid doesn't need him to be with her.

But she does want him at her side

And that, in the end, is good enough.

And so, as he feels her head resting against his shoulder, he briefly squeezes her hand in his own, a slight subtle display of affection in the quiet night.

_Thank you. For being with me._

And he goes to sleep himself.

* * *

Arcueid isn't much for thinking about things.

Well, she _hadn't_ been much for thinking about things.

Before Shiki had met her, there had only been her instincts and the commands drilled into her by those who had raised her to be a living weapon.

She doesn't feel resentment to them about that, which had apparently surprised Ciel and Shiki once when they'd all been together at some fancy restaurant (celebrating Shiki's maids' birthdays, as she recalled). She really prefers not to think about it in the first place.

But it was only after Shiki had killed her, only after she'd slowly and literally pulled herself together that she began to see more of the world in terms of things to be _experienced_.

_Maybe it's because I was killed by you, Shiki. Maybe there's a part of me that hasn't fully healed._

And even back then, she didn't think about things too deeply. There was so much fun to be had that at first it was like an avalanche of new experiences and things, and she'd simply let herself be swept along on the tide.

Now though, she has time, and she finds herself thinking more about things. She'd always liked doing that from the moment she truly woke up, liked imagining new possibilities that lay over the horizon, or even in the distant past.

_Really? I like 'what ifs'. You could imagine almost anything with 'what if'._

Sometimes, she wonders what life would have been like without Shiki meeting her at all. She'd have killed Roa, probably unsuccessfully, and then returned to her castle. Back to a dreamless sleep.

Would that be so bad?

_Now_ it would be, of course, the thought of returning to silence and emptiness was unbearable to her, but she supposed that if she'd never woken up, it'd have been the same as always. There's a brief hint of wistfulness at the thought of the eight hundred years she spent alone, but she pushes it away. No sense dwelling on the past that could no longer be changed.

Sometimes, instead, she wonders what if Shiki was a horrible person, like Roa. What would have happened? She still isn't sure. Probably she would have killed him and that would be the end of that – but then she wouldn't have had the strength to fight Nrvnsqr.

A smile briefly crosses her face as she thinks about the many possibilities in life, about the many ways it could go.

But dreams are dreams, and always at the end is the return to her life in the here and now. Particularly when such a return is always so pleasant.

She peeks an eye open, gazing at Shiki's sleeping face. His face is still, as he always is when he goes to sleep – a sleep so deep and dreamless Arcueid can never shake off the slightest moment of wondering if he'll wake up again. She can feel his hand lightly grasping her own even in sleep, and even that small feeling is a pleasure to her.

She closes her eyes again, leaning her head against the pillow.

She's never put it into words before, but she really, truly –

Needs Shiki to be Shiki, to be who he is, so very much.

He's said before that anyone could make her happy, and the very idea is so ridiculous that she'd nearly laughed out loud when she'd heard. In the first place, the only reason she can be the way she is, is because Shiki killed her.

But it's more than that. Of course it is.

She couldn't believe that anyone would look a vampire in the eye and agree to help them, but Shiki had. Everything about the way he was – how he always complained but would always follow through on whatever he said he would do. How he would always yell at her for doing things he considered stupid. The way he was willing, step by step, to slowly guide her into a world of wonder that she'd never known.

No one else would do that. Only Shiki would reach out to her.

How many people, if they knew what she was, would still reach out a hand to her?

She'd nearly ruined Shiki, but his only response was to hold her tighter still, and to promise that he would always be by her side.

And in doing so, he had trapped her as securely as any of the chains that had bound her in slumber back in the old castle.

For her, there was only Shiki. No one else.

_That's right._ She thought sleepily. _I love you, Shiki. You're perfect for me._

He was still asleep, and besides, she hadn't actually said anything out loud, but as Arcueid drifted off to sleep again, she wondered if perhaps Shiki had heard her anyway.

* * *

Thanks to this particular piece being pretty short, I'll be breaking the 'once a week' thing and doing another (short) piece sometime tomorrow.

Thanks for reading. I would appreciate it if you reviewed.

Next: Booby Trap


	8. Booby Trap

The World of the Moon

* * *

Eight: Booby Trap

* * *

This is a short piece that's more of an extended joke than anything else.

This will also make absolutely no sense unless you've seen a certain scene in _Kagetsu Tohya_. Just so you know.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

The afternoon found Shiki relaxing on the couch of Arcueid's apartment, idly channel surfing on the new TV she'd bought without paying much attention to anything being shown on the screen. Behind him, Arcueid was busy rummaging through the drawers of her room, looking for something or other.

A part of his mind reminded him that he should be returning home soon, lest he tempt the ire of his younger sister. After all, he'd originally come over to make breakfast for Arcueid, but somehow, this and that had happened, and he'd found himself spending the entire morning at her house.

_Well, being with Arcueid is okay, too._ On that note, he looked over to his girlfriend to realize that she had a grumpy expression on her face. Arcueid being Arcueid, it was a bit of a tossup on what exactly could set her off at any given moment.

"Hey, Arc?" he called out as he stood from the couch. "Is anything the matter?"

"Oh, nothing much," she replied in a distracted voice. "I just – can't seem to find my stuff. It's odd, I could swear…"

"Well then, I'll help you look."

"Would you? Thanks," Arcueid flashed him a brief smile and indicated the drawer at the far end of the room. "Would you check those drawers? It's a small green bag with a zipper that I'm looking for."

"Sure I-" Shiki was cut off midsentence as he turned to look at the drawer sitting at the far end of the room.

_Badump._

His heart lurched in his chest. It took him a long moment to realize that he had subconsciously reached for his knife, and an even longer moment to remember that it was lying on top of his study table in his room.

He took a deep breath to steady himself as he stared at the drawer. By all accounts, it was perfectly ordinary. Made of wood, sturdy, it all seemed so perfectly normal.

And yet-

_Badump._

_Dangerous. If I open it, it'll be dangerous._ A half-remembered dream flashed through his mind and he took a stumbling step backwards.

"Shiki?" Arcueid was staring at him curiously now.

"A – actually, could you take that drawer? I'll look um... over there," he pointed at the kitchen and hurriedly headed away, trying to ignore the way Arcueid was staring at him like he'd grown a second head.

_This is stupid. I've defeated supposedly immortal vampires more than once already, it's not like there's anything in Arcueid's drawer that could give me pause._

_...Is there?_ He almost took off his glasses to give the drawer a quick once-over, but shook his head. That was stupid. Besides, Arcueid had already just accepted it as Shiki being silly and gone over himself. As she bent over the drawer, there was a small gasp and Arcueid yanked the bag out.

"Found it!"

"O –oh," Shiki paused. "So… what's in the bag anyway?"

"Heheh," Arcueid beamed as she unzipped the small pouch and brandished two slips of paper. "Ciel was talking about some sort of opera play being held in town, so I looked into it and got us tickets! Good thing I found it now too, it starts in an hour."

"An hour?" Shiki blinked. "But, Arc, I really should be heading back…"

"Hey, are you saying you can't spend an afternoon with me?" Arcueid pouted, and Shiki tried to ignore how cute she looked when she did that.

"N –no, but I already spent the whole morning with you!" A mental image of Akiha with a vein bulging on her forehead forced its way into her mind, and he hurriedly shoved it out again.

"And it was fun, right? So spending the afternoon with me should be fun too!"

Shiki sighed. "I give up. I can't argue with logic like that," _I can always explain to Akiha later, right?_ "Fine, I'll let you lead for today, Princess."

"Yay!" Arcueid laughed, and grabbing on to Shiki's hand, she hurriedly led him out of the apartment.

As he stepped through the doorway, he paused and glanced back at the drawer. No, there was nothing there. Arcueid had opened it, and there hadn't been anything.

Shaking his head, he stepped out into the sunlight.

* * *

In the silence of the now darkened room, Algernon growled, his tail whipping agitatedly against the floor.

The whelp of a boy had come close, but somehow he had sensed the danger. If only his master hadn't forced him to only be activated when someone other than her opened the drawer. She had forgotten, and he'd almost had his chance, but then-!

The boy was a bad influence on his master. He would have to deal with him sooner or later. One big paw padded against the ground as the jaguar slumped to the ground. He could wait. There would be many more opportunities yet.

He could wait.

* * *

This idea seemed funnier in my head before I wrote it.

Oh well.

Thanks for reading. Reviews would be appreciated.

Next: The Adventures of the White Moon Princess Phantasmoon


	9. The White Moon Princess, Phantasmoon

The World of the Moon

* * *

Nine: The Adventures of the White Moon Princess Phantasmoon

Before I begin I should mention that this particular piece was very difficult to write and I ended up reworking the whole premise _twice_ before I even began. Ugggh.

Anyway, that's the explanation why this came out later than usual. (Although playing Portal probably didn't help.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

His heart raging inside his chest, Shiki Tohno barely managed to right himself as he leaned against the guardrail, eyes staring with a wild intensity at the woman that had just passed by him.

That woman… that woman.

That woman!

That woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman, _that woman_

Hair of shining gold.

Eyes as red as blood.

Her every movement, perfect and poised, like an elegant dancer. Even simply walking down the street, her movements were balanced and graceful. Her long skirt fluttered in the breeze, her sweater of pure white somehow making her even more striking than if she had worn something revealing.

Her features, so beautiful as catch the eye of everyone who so much as glanced at her. Shiki grit his teeth and swallowed once more.

_That woman._

_I want_

_to_

Slowly, barely aware of what he was doing, he turned on his heel, hurrying after her.

If he could catch up to her, then he could –

He could –

Deliberately keeping pace behind her, he continued stalking the woman, waiting for the moment where she would be alone, and then…

There. She was ducking into an alleyway. Deserted. Alone. Perfect.

Breathless with anticipation, he reached up to remove his glasses. They would only hinder him during the next few moments.

_Hurry, hurry while she would be alone_.

Reaching into his pocket, Shiki drew his knife, and without hesitation, charged down the alleyway, knife already raised to –

"- let them fear justice's might! Magical White Moon Princess, transf- wha?" The woman instinctively whirled at the sound of approaching footsteps, and seeing Shiki charging at her with knife drawn, she reflexively raised the rod in her hand to block the oncoming blow.

_Wait, rod?_Even as he cut through the line on the rod, neatly severing it and letting the top piece fall to the floor, Shiki could have _sworn_ that the woman had not been carrying anything of that sort a moment ago.

Even more shocking, a brilliant light had suffused the woman's body, along with copious amounts of what looked like sparkles. Crescent-moon shaped sparkles. However, the instant Shiki had cut the rod, the light vanished, leaving the woman to fall backwards with a cry of pain, her knee-high boots slipping on a tiny puddle of water.

_Wait, __**boots**__?_ She had been wearing shoes a moment ago!

And a far longer skirt that had been of a different colour. And a sweater that covered her entire torso and arms, not what appeared to be a severely stripped down evening dress, with a very, _very_ low neckline. Staring at her new outfit, Shiki's homicidal impulse was quickly replaced of an impulse of a rather different nature.

"Ow, ow, _ow_!" The woman complained as she pulled herself to her feet, rubbing her bottom. "What was that about?"

"Uh? I – uh –" Now that was no longer in the throes of a killing frenzy, Shiki had just begun to realize that if he had gone a single step further he'd have just brutally murdered a girl for no apparent reason at all. As it was, he still had his knife pointed at her and after he realized that he hurriedly tucked the weapon away.

The woman didn't appear to be paying any attention, though. She stood, swaying slightly as she grabbed the broken piece of the rod. "Ugh… an incomplete transformation?" She stared at the broken pieces of her weapon (was it a weapon anyway?) before her gaze turned on Shiki and her eyes narrowed.

"Hey," she snapped at him.

"Yes?" as replies go, it wasn't an elegant one, but given that everything about this situation was completely insane, he supposed he could be forgiven a little hesitation in his replies.

"How did you break my wand? It's got enough protective spells on it that even conceptual weapons would have a hard time damaging it, but you-" she glared at the broken pieces for a moment longer before they simply vanished into thin air, causing Shiki to start again. "Oh man, this is bad. I can't use any of the stronger magics in this state."

"M – magic?" Shiki's mind was still not in the process of properly processing information, and so he merely blurted out what came to mind. The woman's expression brightened for a brief moment.

"Uh huh! I'm the Magical White Moon Princess, Phantasmoon! With staff in hand and justice in my heart, I strike down with the power of the moon! Wherever evil and darkness may lurk, I shall hunt them down and punish them in the name of the moon!" her brief smile was just as quickly replaced by an agitated frown. "Or at least, that's what I'd do under normal circumstances, but _someone_ just broke my wand and now I can't use it to channel any magic."

"Aha – ahahaha," even Shiki wasn't sure why he was laughing, but this was all far too much to take it at a single go. His first instinct was to simply write this woman off as completely insane. Sure, there was the fact that she was now wearing completely different clothes from a moment ago, but she was probably a fast dresser. Or something.

"This – look, this is crazy," holding his hands up in a warding-off motion, Shiki began to back up. "I don't know what this is all about, but I'm not going to play around any longer. I'm sorry about your, um, wand, but-"

Raising a hand, the woman snapped her finger, and Shiki froze as a circle made of light traced its way around him. _I can't move? What's going on?_

"Oh no you don't," the woman snapped. "I can't use any powerful magic because you destroyed my wand, so you're going to have to pay me back."

One part of Shiki was currently freaking out because the woman in front of him had just done… something that had frozen him to the spot. (Okay, it was probably magic… which didn't really help his agitation much.) Another part of him registered the statement about him 'paying her back' and immediately began wondering what he possibly had to give her. A third, considerably smaller part, noted how cute she looked when she was angry.

"P – pay you back?" he finally stammered. A smile appeared on her face.

"Uh huh. See, I'm supposed to be hunting down this vampire, but since you broke my wand I won't be able to beat him like this. So, you can help me until I defeat him or my wand's repaired."

_Vampire?_ Shiki sputtered for a moment, unable to form the words. The woman tilted her head to the side as she continued to watch him.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Am I – of course not! This is insane! Vampires don't exist, and even if they did, I'm just an ordinary student! What do you think I could possibly to help you?"

"Don't try to fool me," crossing her arms, the woman leaned in closer to glare at him, with the secondary effect of giving Shiki a very good look at her cleavage. "Like I said, my wand's incredibly hard to break. But you did it like it was nothing. So don't give me that nonsense about you being an ordinary kid." Her glare intensified. "So, are you going to help me, or not?"

Five minutes ago, today had been a perfectly ordinary day, Shiki reflected. Unable to move, being confronted with an impossible demand from an impossible person, still wondering about his sudden homicidal impulse he had suffered a moment ago, and the lingering effects of his anaemia all combined together into one great unendurable pile of awfulness, and Shiki Tohno gave the only response he possibly could.

He fainted.

* * *

Rubbing his eyes blearily, Shiki sat up in his bed. Instinctively reaching for his glasses, he set them on his face and glanced up around his room.

His new room.

At the Tohno Mansion.

That was odd. His last memory was of him being down some alleyway with-

Suddenly he bolted out of bed as though scalded.

"That woman! She-!"

The room was empty.

"A bad dream," that's all, he mumbled as he pressed a hand to his forehead. "Of course it was. Moving back here after eight years must really be getting to me."

Letting out a relieved sigh, Shiki sat back down onto the bed, his shoulders slumping as she did so.

"I wonder why I dreamed about that strange woman," he mumbled to himself. "I've never met her before," _or at least I don't think I have. I'd remember an amazingly beautiful foreigner like that for sure._ "Amazingly beautiful, huh?" he chuckled to himself in the stillness of his room. "Yeah, she really was pretty cute."

The door to the room opened, and Shiki looked up to see Akiha standing in the doorway.

"Nii-san? You've awakened!"

"Ah, morning, Akiha," Shiki gave her a smile and stood up. "And yes, I'm up."

"Well, that's good. The woman," and a shadow fell across Akiha's face. "Who brought you back would like a moment with you."

"The wo-" and before Shiki could complete the sentence, there was a blur of white movement and Shiki found him staring at the magical girl Phantasmoon in front of him.

"Ah, you're all better now, then!" she beamed down at him. "I got really worried for a second there after you collapsed in the alleyway, you know!"

"You – wha – how –" Shiki sputtered. "How did you know where I live?"

"Oh, I just read your mind," if anything, her smile only grew wider. "It was a little difficult, though – your memory's kinda fogged up. Not sure why _that_ is, but-"

"Ahem," Akiha coughed delicately. "Excuse me, Arcueid-san, but Nii-san suffers from anaemia, and though he has awakened, he would still need to rest a while to fully recover. Would you please leave him for the moment."

"Aw," the girl – Arcueid, apparently – frowned, but finally nodded. "Well, I guess it's true he should rest. All right then, Shiki, I'll leave you to it, but don't forget our deal!" and with a final wave of her hand, she bounded out the door.

Left in relative silence, Shiki merely stared, dumbstruck, at the now empty doorway, while Akiha folded her arms.

"A friend of yours, Nii-san?" there was a definite edge in her vice.

"Uh, no, I just… met her today," mentally, Shiki came to the decision not to mention anything about magical girls and vampires. Akiha was already worried enough about his physical health, he didn't need to add his mental health to her list of concerns. "It was only a coincidence, and I guess she decided to be a good samaritan after I collapsed." He neglected to mention the 'deal' that Arcueid had so candidly spoke of.

Akiha sighed and ran a hand through her long hair. "Well, I can't say I care much for her excitable personality, or her…" her face coloured slightly. "Outrageous choice in clothing, but since she did help bring you home, I can't turn her away either," there was another long sigh, followed by a piercing look from Akiha. "She appears really interested in speaking with you too, for some reason," an eyebrow was raised. "Nii-san, might you have any idea why?"

"No," Shiki lied smoothly. Whatever insanity he'd gotten himself into, he wasn't going to drag Akiha or the maids into it. "I'll talk to her after I've have a short… rest…" he flopped back down onto the bed, sleep already rushing up to claim him once more.

* * *

It was several hours later that an understandably hesitant Shiki ambled into the sitting room to find the woman – Phantasmoon or Arcueid, he wasn't sure what to call her – slumped over on the couch fast asleep, head lolling to one side.

"Uh, hey," he said softly, and at his words, Arcueid blinked.

"Mm?" she mumbled as sat upright. After shaking her head slightly, she yawned at stretched her arms over her head, doing interesting things to her chest that Shiki tried studiously to ignore as he settled himself on one of the easy chairs. She turned to him and gave him a sleepy smile. "Oh, it's you, Shiki."

Shiki nodded and let out a breath. "Before anything else, let me thank you for bringing me back after I fainted."

"You're welcome," an easy smile appeared on her face. "And no need to be so formal! After all, we're going to be working together for a while, so we might as well get used to each other, right!"

"Yes, about that," Shiki ran a hand through his hair. "I won't help you. Or, more accurately, I can't help you."

"What?" Arcueid's smile vanished in an instant, replaced by an angry frown. "Hey, listen. I'm stuck like this thanks to you, and you want to just-"

"I know," Shiki raised a hand to forestall her further protests. "I broke your wand, and I'm sorry, and I'm willing to help you in other ways-" _not that I have all that much to myself anyway_. " – but I can't help you fight, um, vampires and witches or whatever. I told you before, I'm just an ordinary person. I can't do that sort of thing."

"You keep saying that you're nothing but an ordinary kid, but no ordinary kid could do something like this," Arcueid help out a hand, palm upwards, and with a flash of light the two pieces of her magic wand appeared in it. "Not only did you break it in a single hit, I can't even stick the pieces back together properly. Believe me, I tried. So," she tossed the two pieces of the wand down onto the table and turned back to look at Shiki. "If you really want to keep insisting that you're nobody special, tell me how you did that."

Shiki let out a deep sigh, one hand unconsciously reaching up to take hold of his glasses. "When I was younger, I got myself involved in a bad accident. Ever since then, I've been able to see lines on things. When I trace those lines, the object gets cut or destroyed. That's how I managed to destroy your wand, okay?"

"Lines, huh…" Arcueid had already cupped her chin. "That doesn't sound very 'ordinary' to me, Shiki."

_How do you know my name?_ he almost opened his mouth to ask, but then he shook his head. _She said she could read my mind earlier. I guess that's how she did it. Although…_ "Hey, um, Arcueid, was it?"

"Yeah?"

"If you could read my mind, how come you didn't know about me being able to see those lines?"

A dissatisfied frown appeared on Arcueid's face. "Hey, what kind of person do you take me for? When I read your mind I just peeked deep enough to figure out where you live. I don't go around going through the history of random people."

"Oh, okay," _I guess she can be considerate when the situation calls for it._ "Anyway, like I said, I can see those lines. That doesn't mean that I'm any use in a fight or anything." _Better not to bring up the fact that I wanted to kill her._

"Really? I mean, you were moving pretty fast when you came at me in the alleyway," Arcueid let out a long sigh.

"I'm sorry. Like I said, I really don't know the first thing about fighting."

"Hm," Arcueid appear to be deep in consideration. "Well, fine. In that case, I have another idea for how you're going to pay me back."

He was starting to have a rather large _bad feeling_ about this, but Shiki plunged on anyway. "And that is?"

"Let me stay in your house for a few days."

Shiki felt himself choking despite the fact that he didn't have anything in his mouth. "I-"

The dissatisfied expression was back in Arcueid's face again. "Don't tell me this is something you _can't_ do either."

"N- no, but… don't you have your own house or anything?"

She sighed and shook her head. "No, not really. Mostly I wander from place to place, you know, hunting down evil where it goes. I'd just arrived in the city the other day, but this particular vampire is a lot harder to track than I thought. Plus, after what you did to me I'm pretty weak right now, and it'll take a while before I can repair my wand fully, so I need a place to lay low until then," she nodded, apparently pleased with her logic. "So, what do you say?"

"Eh – uh…" Shiki pressed a hand to his forehead, certain that he could feel a headache coming on. "I'll go talk to Akiha about it," _after all, it's a pretty big mansion. We should have some spare rooms._ "No promises, though, Arcueid."

"All right, then," with a smile of delight, Arcueid stuck out her hand. "It's a deal, ShikI!"

And as he reluctantly reached out to shake that hand, Shiki Tohno could not possibly anticipate where this simple act would end up leading him in the future.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

Yeah, this is kind of a multichapter thing that we'll be revisiting in the future.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. I'd appreciate it if you reviewed.

Next: The Cake is a Pie


	10. The Cake is a Pie

The World of the Moon

* * *

Ten: The Cake is a Pie

Tiny note: I went back to Ever After (Chapter 3) and fixed some typos and made some extremely minor revisions. Might do it for the other chapters if I have the time.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

For several long minutes, there was a dead silence in the dining room of the Tohno Mansion.

The six people present shuffled about uncomfortably, furtive glances shifting from each other to the table – and what lay on it.

After a long moment, Shiki opened his mouth as if to break the deathly quiet, only for him to fail on account of being unable to find anything to say. He could feel a slight twitch going through his body, although whether it was an instinctive suppression of the urge to run away or simply a reaction to the smell, he couldn't really tell.

Ultimately, the silence was broken by Akiha. Shiki supposed she'd had training in learning how to keep her composure in situations like this.

"Well," she began, with only the slightest tremor to her voice. "If there are no objections, shall we begin?"

As Shiki numbly reached for his fork, his mind had a sudden flashback to the quiet morning that had spawned all this insanity, just yesterday …

* * *

"MM–mmm!" Arcueid let out a pleasurable sound as she bit into the waffle, an expression of dreamy bliss on her face. Nearby, Shiki was staring at her face intently, his own breakfast all but forgotten as he watched his girlfriend enjoy her meal.

After a long moment, Arcueid noticed that he was looking at her, and she glanced down at herself, suddenly self-conscious.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, just…" Shiki trailed off. It was just that the way Arcueid was now, a fork with a chunk of waffle halfway to her mouth, the corners of her mouth smeared with syrup, she just…

Looked incredibly cute.

Returning to himself, Shiki shook his head and chuckled as he began to dig into his own food. The way Arcueid could so easily captivate him with whatever she was doing was something he had realized for a while now. In some ways it was her beauty that made paying attention to her almost a matter of course, but really, it was the pure and innocent delight she found in everything that made her such a joy to watch.

Several minutes later, he finished his own breakfast and looked up in time to see Arcueid wiping her mouth. She let out a happy sigh.

"Thanks for making me breakfast again, Shiki," she beamed at him. "I'm really glad you do it so often."

"It's the third time this week, isn't it? I don't really mind, as long as I can get up early enough to get to school on time," he glanced up at the clock. "Speaking of which, I should be going now, Arc."

At that, she sighed but nodded. "All right, but come play with me again soon, okay?"

With a smile and a wave of his hand, Shiki departed the apartment, a warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest, absolutely certain at that moment that all was right in the world.

* * *

Alone in her apartment, Arcueid busied herself with tidying up the dishes that Shiki had left behind. As she stood at the sink washing the plates, a frown of contemplation made its way onto her face.

"He's cooked me breakfast three times this week, already, huh?" she paused and stared off into nothing. "He's done that a lot this past month, too."

Several minutes later, as she was drying the dishes with a washcloth, she began speaking to herself again. "Shiki always says he's happy to do it for me, but he's had to wake up earlier to that, doesn't it? Plus my house is in the opposite direction from his school, too."

Finally, after she had finished her work and was now alone in her apartment, she fell back onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"I should do something for Shiki, too," she mused out loud. "It's not really fair that he always does stuff for me and I don't do anything in return, is it?"

But what?

Well, the obvious tit-for-tat would be to help make breakfast for him, but Arcueid wasn't really secure enough in her skills as a cook to try that. Especially not when he had such fantastic cooks like Hisui and Kohaku living at his mansion. She blew out a sigh.

Come to think of it, she wasn't sure what Shiki liked to eat in the first place. She had the feeling that he liked his meals simple, so that was at least a small comfort. Still, she wasn't sure about the specifics. Shiki had always ordered a variety of different foods when he went out, so pegging him down to a single favourite was a hard task.

Hm. Maybe she could ask the maids at Shiki's mansion what sort of food he liked.

Yes. Yes, that was a good idea! And while she was at it, she could ask them for some help. Many hands made light work, and all that, right? It had said so in that book of proverbs that she had picked up at the store the other day, after all!

Had Arcueid not been so pleased with the cleverness of her idea, she might have remembered another proverb of a quite contradictory nature that was also in the book – one that, if nothing else, could be applied to the current situation in a far more literal fashion.

'Too many cooks spoil the broth.'

* * *

"You want to cook something for Shiki-san?" Kohaku clapped her hands together, a delighted smile on her face. "Oh my, that's really sweet of you, Arcueid-san!"

"That's right!" Arcueid smiled right back. She didn't know why exactly, but she'd always found the cheerful maid of the Tohno household the easiest of the residents to get along with. Aside from Shiki, of course; he was on an entirely different levelling of getting-along-ness. But Hisui was honestly too quiet for Arcueid's tastes and Little Sister… was Little Sister. Kohaku shared a cheerfulness and penchant for mischief with the vampire that had allowed them to bond a lot quicker than Shiki had thought possible. "I thought I should pay Shiki back a little since he always cooks breakfast for me. But I'm not sure what it is Shiki really likes to eat, though…"

"Ah, so you came to me for help," a brief frown creased Kohaku's brow. "But Arcueid-san, to be honest, I'm not sure what it is that Shiki-san particularly likes. He always eats anything I make him without complaint, and he never has special requests either."

"Really? Hm…" Arcueid cupped her chin. Even his maids didn't know? That was somewhat troublesome…

"Plums."

"Hm?" At the sound of the quiet voice from behind them, Kohaku turned.

"Hisui-chan?"

Shiki's personal maid nodded as she stepped closer, setting down the basket of washing she had been carrying with her. "Shiki-sama is fond of plums, Nee-san. If you wish to make something for Shiki-sama, you should make sure to include plums, Arcueid-sama."

"Plums, huh?" Arcueid nodded. "Got it! Thanks, Hisui!"

"But that can't be right," Kohaku stroked her chin thoughtfully. "I seem to recall Shiki-san telling me he didn't like them much before…"

"No, Nee-san," Hisui shook her head. "I am certain that Shiki-sama is inordinately fond of plums."

"Well, you might be right," Kohaku conceded. "So, that being the case…"

"I've got it! I'll bake Shiki a cake! A plum cake!"

"A cake, Arcueid-san? I thought we were discussing breakfast?"

"Well, not exactly. Anything's good as long as I can make it for Shiki, after all," Arcueid grinned. "Besides, if it's a cake, we can all share it!"

"Hahaha, how generous of you, Arcueid –san. All right, then," Kohaku nodded. "Give me a day to go out and gather the ingredients we'll need. I'll see you tomorrow, around noon would be good."

"Bye, Kohaku! Bye, Hisui! See you tomorrow!" With an energetic wave, Arcueid jumped out the nearby window onto a tree branch, rapidly vanishing from view.

"Hmhmhm," Kohaku hummed a note of delight into her sleeve. "Shiki-san was really fortunate to meet someone like Arcueid-san. Don't you think so, Hisui-chan?"

"She and Shiki-sama get along well together," Hisui answered in her usual reserved manner.

"But, still, Hisui-chan, I must say I'm surprised at you. Going out of your way to offer advice on winning Shiki-san's heart to Arcueid-san? To think that you would support a rival for Shiki-san's affections! Huhuhu…"

The effect was instantaneous. Hisui's face changed to the colour of a fresh tomato in the blink of an eye. "Wha- what are you saying, Nee-san? Don't be ridi- that's not-" she sputtered on for several seconds before she took a deep breath and managed to bring her feelings back under control. "Nee-san, Shiki-sama is my master. It is a maid's duty to look to her master's best interests, and not to let any personal feelings get in the way."

"If you say so, Hisui-chan," Kohaku chuckled as she walked towards the door of the room. "Well, I really should be going to town to get those ingredients. Watch the house until Shiki-san and Akiha-sama return, okay?"

* * *

The next day, four figures gathered in the kitchen of the Tohno Mansion, a singular goal of helping to create a masterpiece of the baking arts foremost in their minds.

"My, my, Len-chan wants to help too?" Kohaku chuckled as she petted the quiet familiar on the head.

"I think she wants to be able to lay claim to a slice for herself later," Arcueid said as she rummaged through the ingredients Kohaku had bought. Len's sweet tooth was common knowledge amongst those who spent time with the cat.

"Well, that's no problem, then!" Kohaku chuckled slightly before a slightly troubled expression founds its way onto her face. "Although… Hisui-chan, please don't take this the wrong way, but… why are you here?"

Hisui drew in a deep breath. "Arcueid-sama specifically requested for my help, Nee-san, in light of how much she enjoyed the last meal I cooked for her. I felt that it would be rude to refuse."

"O – of course it would," Kohaku chuckled nervously. So now Hisui would be helping them. Well, with any luck, she would be able to minimize any damage her younger sister caused.

"Anyway, shall we begin?" Arcueid beamed as she grabbed onto a bag of flour. "We should get started soon, too, so we can complete it before Shiki and Little Sister get back from school."

"Ah, Akiha-sama did not have any school today," Kohaku informed the vampire as she grabbed onto a plum and began slicing it into chunks with ease borne of years of practice. "She is currently in her room handling business affairs, and then she'll take a rest until Shiki-san gets home. In any case, we should have free reign for a few hours."

"Well, that's good! Come on, Len," Arcueid beckoned her friend. "We'll get started on mixing the flour and the eggs."

Kohaku smiled at the image of Len being Arcueid's assistant as she returned to chopping the fruit before a thought struck her and she turned to her sister. "Hisui-chan? What will you be doing?"

Hisui nodded. "I shall be searching for garnishes," and before Kohaku could say anything else Hisui had retreated to the other corner of the room and began rummaging to the cupboards.

_G-garnishes…_ stifling an uncomfortable laugh, Kohaku returned to her work. _Well, whatever it is that Hisui-chan digs up can't be too bad, right? I'll just make sure to keep an eye on her._ And with that reassuring thought in mind, Kohaku returned to work.

* * *

Len silently watched as Arcueid began cracking the eggs. How humans did it and how supremely powerful True Ancestors did it tended to differ. For example, the standard human method would be to rap the egg against the side of the bowl hard enough to form a crack, and then use to crack to break the egg open and let the insides fall out.

Supremely powerful True Ancestors who had access to the Marble Phantasm simply manipulated the laws of nature so that after placing the eggs in the bowl, their shells disintegrated, leaving nothing but the yolks and whites to flowing out.

It seemed slightly excessive to the familiar, but then again it was efficient, and who was she to judge? Silently, she plodded over to the bag of sugar Kohaku had bought and brought it over to the mixing bowl.

The recipe, if she remembered correctly, had called for two teaspoonfuls of sugar. With a nod, Len scooped the amount out once, twice, and…

She frowned. She could not be certain, but… the amount of sugar seemed a little small relative to the amount of flour. Maybe just a little more?

After all, there was no such thing as _too_ sweet, was there?

After a brief moment's hesitation, Len nodded to herself, and with a fiery determination in her eyes, began to scoop out more sugar from the bag.

* * *

Arcueid flipped through the pages of the recipe book, a frown appearing on her face. She had to admit that she was woefully lacking in experience when it came to baking cakes (which would be a major part of the reason why she was relying on the cookbook in the first place), but she could swear that certain parts of the recipe seemed… off.

For one thing, why would there be instruction on how to add a top pastry layer? That wasn't how cakes worked.

At least, she was pretty sure that wasn't how _ordinary_ cakes worked. Maybe Kohaku had chosen some super special cake recipe because she knew Arcueid would want it be as special as possible for Shiki. Yes, that had to be it!

_Kohaku really is so thoughtful._ Arcueid thought with a smile as she returned to her work. Still, she couldn't shake that nagging doubt that this wasn't how it was supposed to go.

_Well, when the time comes I'll just ask Kohaku or Hisui for clarification. They know what they're doing, don't they?_ And with a satisfied nod, Arcueid banished any and all worries from her mind.

* * *

Digging out several bottles of food colouring, Hisui paused to consider her options as she sifted through the various labels.

_If it is to be a plum cake, it is only natural that it is to be the colour of plum._ No one could find any flaws with that logic, and so Hisui continued in her quest to find the perfect shade of colouring.

Grabbing a paper napkin, Hisui poured out an experimental drop onto the sheet.

No, too red.

Another bottle.

Too pale.

Another.

Too rich.

Well, unless she could dilute it somehow… her eyes narrowed in concentration, Hisui glanced around the kitchen for anything she could use to lessen the intensity of the colouring.

Of course! The vinegar! It was colourless, so she could easily mix it in and lessen the strength of the colouring. A rare smile appeared on her face at her delight at finding such an innovative solution to her problem, and taking a deep breath, Hisui began to busy herself with her work.

* * *

Kohaku noted out of the corner of her eye that Hisui was puttering about in the additives section, but she was still keeping it to herself. _I'll just run whatever it is she's trying to add by me before she puts it in. She's not doing anything particularly important, just the garnishes, like she said, so even if she did something horribly wrong, it won't waste that much time._

More important were Arcueid and Len's antics. Kohaku snuck a glance at the vampire who was busy mixing the batter with gusto. Well, she certainly couldn't fault her enthusiasm. And on that note, it would soon be time to add the fruit pieces-

Later, Kohaku would be at a loss as to explain how it had happened. She was normally supremely confident in her own skills in the kitchen, after all. Perhaps it was because she was busy keeping an eye on the other people in the kitchen. Perhaps it was because she hadn't gotten enough sleep last night. Perhaps it was simply that the powers that be, in a moment of whimsy, had decided to strike her with bad luck.

Whatever the reason, there was a dull _thud!_ and suddenly Kohaku felt a sharp pain lancing up her hand. With a cry of pain she jerked her hand away, causing the others to come to her side.

_I cut my own finger?_ Kohaku stared at the bleeding appendage for a moment. Her hurting from such things was relatively new, but still, she knew that the bleeding was serious enough that she'd need to deal with it quickly.

"Urgh…" there was a troubled moan, and suddenly Kohaku realized that Arcueid had retreated to the far side of the kitchen and was currently trying desperately not to look in Kohaku's direction. _Ah, yes, Arcueid-san doesn't do well in the presence of blood. I'll have to leave._

"Nee-san!" she heard Hisui's cry and she smiled encouragingly at her sister.

"Don't worry, Hisui-chan. It's not serious. I'll just have to disinfect and bandage it."

"All… all right, if you say so," Hisui was clearly worried, but Kohaku was the one who had had medical training, and so Hisui deferred to her greater expertise in the matter. "Hurry up and treat it then, Nee-san."

Kohaku smiled, nodded, and left the kitchen.

It was only when she was halfway to her room and the first-aid kit she kept in there that she realized what she had just done.

She had left Arcueid, Hisui, and Len, alone and unsupervised, in the kitchen, to attempt the baking of a cake.

A bolt of pure terror shot through the normally unflappable maid, and almost involuntarily, she sent out a mental cry.

_SHIKI-SAN, __**RUN!**_

* * *

"Hey, man, anything the matter?" Arihiko gazed at Shiki with concern, and the bespectacled youth shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. I just…" he glanced over his shoulder. "Felt like there was some sort of danger around the place."

"You know what's a danger? If we don't get there quicky, we won't be able to reserve enough seats at the cafeteria, and Ciel-senpai won't be able to join us for lunch! Now _that's_ a danger, so hurry up!"

"Coming, coming," Shiki sighed and hurried after his friend.

* * *

"Hisui?" Arcueid asked as she lifted her head from the batter. "Could I ask you something?"

Hisui looked up from where she was busy pouring the food colouring into a pan. "Yes, Arcueid-sama?"

"Are you sure that this recipe is correct?" she handed the book over for Hisui to scan through, and Hisui paused.

"If Nee-san was the one who chose this recipe, then there should be no problems," she said. "As for myself, I cannot find anything wrong with it."

"Got it!" Arcueid smiled. "I just wanted to make sure. Thanks, Hisui!"

And so they returned to their work.

* * *

Several hours later, Shiki let out a long breath as he stepped through the doors of his family home. Today had been a tiring day at school, and he was glad to be back home, and to be afforded the chance to relax.

As he stepped into the interior of the mansion, he wasn't surprised to see Arcueid in the lobby, apparently waiting for him. After all, she'd called in the morning with news about having some sort of surprise ready for him when he came back.

What _did_ surprise him was the fact that she was pacing back and forth in the lobby, wringing her hands nervously. At the sound of his the door closing behind him, she whirled to face him, her face filled with surprise – and badly-concealed anxiety.

"S-shiki!" Okay, Arcueid stuttering? Something was horribly, horribly wrong here. Arc didn't _stutter_.

"What's the matter, Arc?" he smiled encouragingly at her. "You told me you had a surprise for me, didn't you?"

A forced smile appeared on her face. "I did, didn't I? Well, about that, it's a bit of a funny story-"

"Arcueid-sama," appearing in the doorway of the kitchen, Hisui bowed deeply. "The cake has just finished baking."

"Oh, a cake?" Shiki tried to keep the smile on his face, but he had a sudden, awful premonition of doom lurking in front of him. "Is that the surprise, Arc?"

"Well, yes," Arcueid looked as if she was about to get a tooth pulled without anaesthetic. Definitely not a good sign.

"Shiki-sama, with your leave, I will go inform Nee-san and Akiha-sama that we have finished our baking."

A baking project that hadn't involved Kohaku? This was just getting better and better.

Which had of course led them to current situation, with all of them staring at the… _thing_ in front of them on table.

Splotches of grey-green covered the uppermost layer of the stuff, mixed in with generous amounts of what appeared to be a purple that reminded Shiki of nothing so much as deadly poison. Despite the fact that it had received ample time to cool, Shiki could detect a faint hissing coming from within the lumpy depths of the creation.

Surreptitiously, Shiki glanced up at the others to see how they felt. Akiha, sitting opposite him on the table, had an expression on her face that was almost bored, a definite feeling of 'let's just get this mess over with' coming from her.

Kohaku looked apologetic, though for what exactly, Shiki couldn't tell. He also noticed that one of her fingers was currently bandaged. _I wonder what happened._

Hisui just appeared puzzled, as if she couldn't figure out how they had managed to end up with what they had.

Len appeared on the verge of tears, her dream of tucking into a delicious cake thoroughly dashed by now.

And Arcueid… sitting at his side, Arcueid simply looked as if she wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere and die. Shiki reined in a sigh, even as he felt a stab in his heart at her crushed expression. Every last one of them knew that the cake – if it could even be called a cake, it half-looked like a pie, actually – in front of them was an affront to all that was good and pure in this world, but no one wanted to point that out and so risk upsetting everyone else in the room.

Finally, it was Akiha who broke the silence. "Well," she said. "If there are no objections, shall we begin?"

With a nod of assent, Shiki picked up his fork and got ready to eat, as did the others in the room.

Twenty seconds later, all of them stood and bolted for the various bathrooms in the mansion.

* * *

Night had fallen, and the residents of the Tohno Mansion had retired for the day, mostly to nurse aching stomachs.

Shiki was no exception, and he lay in bed, feeling his digestive tract howl protests at the indignity it had been subjected to earlier in the day.

Well, it couldn't be helped, he supposed. That was just the way things had turned out.

And on that note…

"Hey, Arcueid," he called.

There was the soft rustle of curtains, and Arcueid stepped into view. "Ehehe…" she gave an embarrassed laugh that Shiki could tell was forced. "You knew I was there, Shiki?"

"You've pulled that so many times, it'd be surprising if I _couldn't_ tell," he sat up in his bed. "Do you want some hot chocolate?" He'd managed to convince Kohaku to install a water boiler in his room a while back, under the unspoken understanding that he tended to entertain unannounced night visits far more often than was usual.

She shook her head. "Not tonight, Shiki," and her voice was soft as she walked over to his bedside, settling herself heavily on it. Her downcast eyes stared at the ground, refusing to meet his gaze.

Shiki sighed. "Arc…"

"Shiki, I'm sorry," she began suddenly. "I just wanted to do something for you like you always did for me. But everything went wrong, and everyone ended up hurt because of me."

Shiki was silent.

"I don't even know where it all went wrong. I'd gotten help from Kohaku and Hisui, I'd prepared as best as I could and I-" she was cut off with a gasp as she felt warms arms wrap around her from behind.

"It's all right, Arc," Shiki said softly, into her ear. "It's true the result wasn't very good, but Hisui told me that you really enjoyed yourself while making the cake. That's good, isn't it?"

"But I-"

"Arc, even if the results didn't turn out so well, I'm still happy," gently but firmly, he placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her so that she was looking at him. "I'm glad you wanted to do something nice for me. So… thank you."

The beginnings of a smile almost found its way onto Arcueid's face before she looked away. "But – that means I still haven't done anything to pay you back for all the things you did for me, Shiki."

"Hey now, Arcueid," Shiki chuckled in the darkness. "You're wrong. Every time I do something for you, you always pay me back."

She turned to him, a questioning look on her face.

"Every time I do something for you, I get to see your beautiful smile when you thank me. That's all the reward I need."

There was a moment of silence, and then a smile spread across Arcueid's face. "Shiki…" Closing her eyes, she leaned forward to embrace him.

Shiki returned the hug, settling himself backwards on the bed until both of them were lying down on it, arms still wrapped protectively around each other. With a last sigh of contentment, Shiki closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, the two of them remaining that way until the dawn came.

* * *

Well that ending was pure cheese.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and I would appreciate it if you reviewed my work.

Next: Conclusion


	11. Conclusion

The World of the Moon

* * *

Eleven: Conclusion

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Edit**: Changed a few things here and there, mostly around the conclusion of the fight. Hope it's better than before.

* * *

Deep within the castle, Arcueid's eyes flew open. The chains that she had bound herself with shattered as if they had been made of straw as she jerked violently, pitching herself forward onto the cold stone of the floor.

Lying spread-eagled on the ground, Arcueid drew in a deep, shuddering breath. The shock that had jolted her to her bones – no, to her very soul – could not possibly be mistaken for anything else. As if to confirm her own suspicions, the roiling wave of nausea that forced itself through her body made it all too apparent.

Gaia was dying.

After suffering so long at the hands of humanity's actions, the spirit of the planet itself was beginning to fade. As Arcueid shakily pulled herself to her feet, she gritted her teeth.

She knew Gaia. She knew what its final demand would be.

Almost on cue, a slow pounding appeared in her head, and Arcueid feel to his knees, hands clutching the sides of her head as her face screwed up in agony.

_**I AM DYING. THE NATURE OF THIS VERY PLANET SHALL SOON FADE.**_

"Hah… hah…" Gasping for breath, Arcueid pulled herself back. The planet had never spoken directly to her before, never made such public demands. There would be only one reason.

_**HUMANITY MUST NOT OUTLIVE THE VESSEL THAT SIRED IT.**_

_**DESTROY THEM, ARCHETYPE. DESTROY THOSE WHO HAVE GROWN DISTANT FROM ME.**_

_**DESTROY THEM.**_

"I…. will… not!" Forcing her words out through a clenched throat, her defiant statement turned into a cry of pain as the pressure on her head increased tenfold. A trembling weakness seemed to fill her entire body, and spikes of red hot pain lanced through her skull.

_**YOU ARE THE ARCHETYPE OF EARTH, CREATED TO PROTECT AND TO SERVE THE WILL OF GAIA. MY WILL.**_

_**I TELL YOU ONCE MORE. DESTROY THEM.**_

"No," reduced to a crawling heap on the floor, Arcueid shook her head, every word forced out of her mouth by a supreme effort of will. "No. I will. Never. Raise. My arms. Against. Humans. Nev. Er." A choked sound. For a brief instant, a crimson haze filled her vision.

_**DESTROY THEM!**_

Urgency and desperation fuelled the words that seared through her brain now, Gaia's horror that humanity could live independent of it now mingling with disbelief that the greatest of the True Ancestors could disobey a direct command.

_**DESTROY THEM. IN THE NAME OF THE PLANET, THE SPIRIT WITHIN YOU AND YOUR HERITAGE, I COMMAND YOU. DESTROY HUMANITY.**_

"Agh…! Ah!" A hacking cough, and Arcueid could feel her body began to the respond to Gaia's demand, one hand reaching down to steady itself as the body was pulled to her feet.

"No!" with a desperate cry, Arcueid jerked, teeth seizing down on her treacherous arm and biting deep into her own flesh. Pain flared and she collapsed to the floor again.

_Better… better that I gnaw off every one of my limbs than fulfil Gaia's demand._

Gaia's command pounded deep into her brain, threatening to erase her sense of reason and self, and to turn her into a mindless force, an extension of Gaia's will. But Arcueid was no stranger to resisting the urge for carnage.

After all, she had spent millennia holding back her bloodlust, rising and surging in ever increasing waves, at bay.

And so she held on. Wavering on the knife's edge between reason and insanity, Arcueid lay sprawled on the cold floor of the basement of the Millennium Castle, fighting off Gaia's demands for what seemed to be an eternity.

If Gaia had been in its prime, she could never have disobeyed so direct an order. But the planet, weak as it was, could no longer exert its direct will on the True Ancestor, and the truth of its impotence torched a deep rage within the ashes of its will.

_**I SEE.**_ The deep voice said after what appeared to be an eternity of silence. _**YOU, THE TRUE ANCESTORS… THE CRIMSON MOON'S TEMPLATE. YOU WERE FAILURES FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.**_

Arcueid did not respond, and instead lay spread-eagled on the floor, listening and panting.

Finally, with a single desperate cry that carried with it all of the planet's anger and despair and terrified, impotent rage, Gaia died.

And silence reigned once more within Castle Brunestud, broken only by the pained, shallow gasps of the last True Ancestor.

* * *

_Tick._

_Tock._

_A feeling of silence permeated the room. It was dimly lit, the furnishings sparse but comfortable._

_In the room, there was a bed. And on the bed was Shiki Tohno, on the brink of death._

_Arcueid sat at his bedside, staring down at his sleeping face, her heart a storm of emotion._

_It wasn't fair. Shiki looked like any other ordinary human in the prime of his life, his features youthful and innocent._

_It wasn't fair that he had to die this young._

_She'd always known… she'd always known that this day would come. But she'd never thought it would come so soon._

"_Hey, Arcueid," a terribly soft voice, so frail that it almost felt like it would be swallowed by the silence of the rest of the room._

"_Shiki?" In an instant, Arcueid was crouched at his bedside, grasping his hand in her own._

_He smiled at her. A terribly peaceful smile._

"_Shiki… don't..."_

_She wanted to say 'don't die'. But that was such a ridiculous thing to say. In the first place, death came to everything in existence. But that didn't make her desire any less real._

"_Shiki…" she whispered. "It's too soon, you know? There were still so many things I wanted to do with you." So many places she wanted to go to with him. So many things she wanted to talk to him about._

"_Yeah. It was really fun being with you. But… that's the way things are. From the beginning, there's nothing that could be done about something like that."_

_She sucked in a deep breath of air._

* * *

No.

He's wrong.

There's something I can do.

_She stared at his face – at the eyes that forever stared with a peculiar intensity, and the thin smile on his lips. A body that was too frail to contain his spirit._

I could share it with him. My vitality and my will.

If I don't, he'll go to a place where I can't follow.

I want to stop him.

I want to stop him.

I want to stop him.

I want to stop him.

Even if it means laying the ultimate curse on him, I want to stop him, but –

His face, smiling at me

It just

looks

so peaceful. How can I bring myself to selfishly ruin that?

_Choking back a sob, she leaned in closer again, resting her forehead against his chest. From within, only a faint heat remained._

"_Arcueid," the soft voice again._

"_Shiki?"_

_His eyes were closed. The eyes that could see death everywhere would, at the very end, not see his own death approaching. "Thank you. From now on… please, never forget how much fun life can be, okay? Please, go through life with a smile on your face."_

_And with that Shiki Tohno breathed out once, a long shallow breath, and died._

* * *

Gritting her teeth, Arcueid forced herself back to her feet, wobbling unsteadily.

Gaia was dead. The existence that had supported hers since the day of her birth, was now gone.

_In the end, all things die._ Arcueid's laugh was hollow. With the planet dead, any death of her own would now be final too.

She glanced down at the snapped, scattered chains all across the basement, considering for a long moment to simply returning to silence and slumber.

But in the depths of her mind, she could remember. The planet's final call.

Not to herself, but to all the other planets in the solar system.

Its own agents had refused its final command, and so Gaia had called upon others instead.

Would the others respond? Most likely. The idea of a race that could exist independent of the planet it had been tied to was as repugnant to them as it had been to Gaia.

And so, they would respond.

Maybe not immediately. Most of them were vast distances away, and even for Types it would take a long time to cross the boundaries of space.

Most of them.

There was one, however, that posed a real, immediate threat.

And so, nodding her head and steeling her heart, Arcueid departed the Millennium Castle for the final time.

As she walked across the withering landscape, she drew in information of the time. Humans had grown, changed, evolved. A war was raging across the planet, pitting humans against humans once more, likely the final catalyst that had pushed Gaia to its death. As all this knowledge and more flowed into her mind, Arcueid simply shook her head.

There was nothing she could do there.

She continued her lonely journey across the land, her final destination already known. She did not count the number of nights and days that passed before her. However, as the days were on, she began to notice the signs of the planet's death around her.

Grass withered. The soil became dry and cracked.

Rain no longer fell.

That was only natural. A dead planet could no longer support life.

And with the death of Gaia, the massive amount of energy contained within it was beginning to rise and flood the atmosphere with pure mana. For humans, this would make the very air poison to them.

Still, she wondered if perhaps humanity would find their own way to survive in the end. Indeed, the war appeared to be raging harder than ever around her.

One day, the land she walked on changed. Past the lifeless soil, her next step was on a hard, crystalline substance that blanketed the landscape before her. As soon as she passed through the boundary of the alien world, she felt her body tremble, her senses reacting to being within an environment unlike anything under Gaia.

Undeterred, she kept walking forward, deeper and deeper into the heart of the impossible structure. In there, her target was waiting.

Finally, as the setting sun painted the entire scene with a vision of orange and red, she rounded a spire of crystal and came face to face with the one she sought.

Vast, metallic and spiderlike, ORT perched itself on a mound of solid crystal, its legs clicking together slowly in a grotesque parody of a human's clapping. Blue green fires drifted eternally around its vast form.

Arcueid stood before it as an ant would stand before an elephant, gazing upon its imperturbable visage.

_Welcome, Archetype Earth._ The Ultimate One of Mercury stated in a voiceless call that reverberated within her skull. _You arrived sooner than I anticipated._

* * *

"_Shiki, you liar!" With a cry, Arcueid hurled the lamp, letting it smash against the far wall of the room before she sank to her knees._

"_You told me these memories would become precious ones, and I believed you, so…" she huddled on the ground, ignoring Len's worried mews as her body shuddered with sobs._

Why?

These were supposed to be my happiest, most important memories, of times spent with Shiki, so…

Why does it hurt so much now when I remember them?

_She lay on the ground, feeling tears stream down her face as she stared numbly at the far wal._

"_You told me to go through life with a smile on my face," she whispered to the air. "What kind of request is that, Shiki?"_

I don't have the slightest confidence in being able to live like that.

I don't feel like I'll ever be able to smile again.

_She felt soft paws against her back, and a second later, Len had huddled up into the crook of her body, trying to offer what small comfort she could to her owner. Without thinking, Arcueid reached up and patted the familiar on the back._

_Slowly, as the night wore on, Arcueid drifted off to sleep. And for a moment, in her dreams, she smiled once more._

* * *

Arcueid did not respond to ORT, simply staring at him. He had been an alien presence in this land for millennia by the time she had been born, and Gaia had never expressed any problems with having it here. In any case, it had always been dormant.

Now, though, it twisted and moved with a fluid grace, awakening from a slumber of countless years.

It had heard Gaia's call, and it would move to fulfil the dead planet's final wish.

_You can understand me, can you not? You are an Ultimate One too, even if a defective one._ ORT's mind was calm. For it, eliminating all humanity was a duty no different from being told to stamp out a bug that happened to annoy it.

_Born of two contradictory natures, you and your kind could not live without suppressing your power. If not, you would have been able to force humanity back under the sway of Gaia's influence. Truly a tragic comedy._

"…" Arcueid folded her arms as she stared at the being in front of her. "Do you intend to follow Gaia's final demand?"

_Yes._ What ORT said could not truly be expressed in any words, but its pulsing will was unmistakeable. _Mercury has chosen to answer Gaia's final call. Humanity must not outlive the planet. The Promised Time was always to happen, even from the moment I arrived on this land so long ago._

Arcueid knew that if it wanted, ORT could reduce every single city on the planet to rubble within the space of a single day – and without moving from its position right now. There would be no effective way for humanity to fight back – if they even could. As they were, humans would be annihilated by ORT easily.

Her gaze sharpened as she gazed at ORT. "I will not let you."

_Listen to yourself. The planet you draw your power from is dead. You can expect no help from that quarter. Even if you were in your prime, you could not defeat me._

Arcueid knew what the being in front of her had said was true, but it changed nothing. "Humanity has its own will. You, and the other Types, shall not dictate their death for them."

_Their own will?_ The voice in her mind took on a mocking bent. _Even now, they barely pay heed to their own impending end as the engage in a war as destructive as they can make it. Humanity will perish even without our intervention – I am merely accelerating the process._

"Be that as it may," Arcueid brought her arms down into a battle ready stance. "I will not let you destroy humanity."

_You, born as the avatar of Gaia, would act against its wishes to defend those who ultimately killed it._ A vast, reverberating sound filled her mind, ORT's equivalent of a derisive laugh. _Defective, indeed._

"Type Mercury," Arcueid's voice was soft. "I will kill you."

The spider spread its multiple legs, each of them cracking the crystal around it with the sheer force of their thrusts into the ground. Slowly, ponderously, it raised itself above Arcueid, the hellfire that danced along its body growing in size and intensity. Its will focused itself into a single burning point, the intent to annihilate its enemy.

_Die trying._

Arcueid was not listening, even as she had spoken, she had reached deep within herself, removing the shackles she had placed on her own power. As physical a change as if she had been weighed down by countless heavy chains that were no longer there, she could feel energy she had not tapped into in millennia flood her body.

And along with it came the pervading crimson haze, the insatiable desire for the blood of humans. Vast and uncontrollable, it raged through her, a roar calling her to hunt, destroy, slaughter.

But it would not matter. Exerting her will, Arcueid Brunestud, the last True Ancestor, focused all her strength, her rage, her destructive ability on the being in front of her.

After this, her bloodlust that had plagued her for so long would no longer matter.

Because.

This was the end.

Win or lose.

This battleground would be the place where Arcueid Brunestud died.

* * *

"_Miss Blue."_

_The Sorceress glanced up, and an easy smile appeared on her face as she caught sight of Arcueid. "Hello there, True Ancestor. This is the first time we've really met, isn't it? I wished it could have been in happier circumstances, though."_

_They were at Shiki's funeral. The eulogy had been given, the casket had been sent off for cremation. There hadn't been very many people there at all – Little Sister and the maids, Ciel, Sion, his friend from school, the family he'd lived with before._

_And the Sorceress Aoko Aozaki, the person who had taught Shiki how to live his life as best he could._

"_I agree. Shiki had always wanted to meet you again, even after that night."_

"_Mm," Blue's answer was noncommittal as she looked at the ground._

_Silence for several uncomfortable seconds, until Arcueid spoke up again._

"_Miss Blue, I would like to ask you a question."_

"_Mm?" She raised an eyebrow. "What is it, then?"_

"_When will I die?"_

_She blinked. "Huh?"_

"_If anyone should know, it is the wielder of the Fifth Magic," Arcueid's gaze was hard. "Please tell me."_

_The Sorceress let out a long, deep sigh. When she looked up again, Arcueid could see a deep sadness in her eyes. "Arcueid," she said, using her name for the first time. "I don't use the Fifth for such things. And you should not ask me to."_

"_I see," Arcueid closed her eyes. "I cannot know when I am to pass on, then."_

"_I wouldn't say that," Blue shrugged her shoulders. "Those who have experienced death tend to be able to feel it when it comes a second time. I think that would apply in your case."_

"_I understand," she nodded once._

_And then there was silence amongst the two._

* * *

Arcueid took the offensive, releasing a flurry of slashes with her claws. Each blow had the power behind it to shatter a mountain, and indeed the landscape around ORT was smashed open, crystalline shards thrown into the air to reflect the world in a bewildering array of golden sparkles.

ORT withstood the blows in silence, his metallic skin not showing even a dent, and then a single shining burst of light sprouted forth from its body, almost too fast for Arcueid to even perceive, and she whirled to the side, releasing another wild slash from her claws.

More crystals now, whirling through the air, reflecting ORT's blasts of energy in a blinding array that kept Arcueid dodging, a ghostly blur as she kept up her own assault on Type Mercury from all angles. Every movement she made caused sonic booms to rip through the air, her attacks so many times faster than the speed of sound.

No visible damage whatsoever, although she'd never really expected any. Focusing, Arcueid shifted the nature of her assault on the Ultimate One.

The air around ORT instantly froze solid, and even as ORT moved to shatter the ice, a wave of burning heat seared through the area, so intense that the air itself burst into flame – only to be instantly extinguished by an exertion of ORT's will.

_Agh._ Arcueid stepped back, batting aside a strike from ORT as she paused to take measure of her opponent. _In here, it's… Mercury. The Crystal Valley means I can't use my powers at their full._ An ironic smile. _What am I saying? Gaia is dead. I can't use my powers at their full no matter what._

_**Blut die Schwester**_

Focusing, Arcueid called on her status as the avatar of the earth, overwriting the surrounding landscape with her own reality – that of Gaia. Around her, a patch of land appeared that was neither the stark crystal of Mercury nor the dead sand of Gaia – but a fertile, patch of rich soil bursting with life.

A tiny island in a sea of vast crystal, but there all the same.

_Hm. As expected._ ORT did not shift its position. _The very last spark of Gaia's life rests within you, the last of the True Ancestors. It almost seems a waste to destroy it along with you._

From her had come this land, and from this land she drew in new power of her own. Focusing, Arcueid released another burst of energy, this was so charged with power that it was visible in the darkening gloom.

_What-_ ORT shifted, countering the strike – as the two attacks collided, the clouds above parted, the sheer energy of the diverted attack reaching up into the skies.

_Is there a full moon tonight?_ Arcueid wondered as she charged, continuing her furious assault, unwilling to give ORT any opening. _I can't remember. Would it matter?_

_Enough._ A single word from Type Mercury, and suddenly, the world around her roiled over, the crystalline landscape twisting at ORT's command to strike at her. Caught off guard, Arcueid managed to evade one, two strikes, and the third, a blade with an edge no wider than a molecule, took her right hand off at the wrist.

"Ah-!" Thrown off balance, an energy blast from ORT caught Arcueid head on and she was sent sprawling. Damage that would have been trivial for her to recover from when the planet was alive was now debilitating enough for her to be unable to move for several vital seconds.

And suddenly ORT was directly in front of her, its vast bulk having covered the space in between them in the space of a second. From its body a vast maw appeared.

_Rejoice, Archetype Earth. I will consume you, and what power there is in you shall go towards fulfilling your planet's last command._ Gritting her teeth, Arcueid released a burst of energy at ORT as she jumped back, seeking to get away.

_You cannot escape._ More and more crystals, hexagonal in shape, began to float around her, trapping her in an inescapable web of ORT's energy, and an immense pressure from above forced her down, slamming her hard into the unyielding crystal floor. _It is over._

* * *

"_I've got to hand it to you," Arcueid muttered._

_There was no response. Of course there wouldn't be._

"_You'd always wanted a death like that, didn't you?" The True Ancestor stared down at the silent tombstone._

"_And in the end you got it. And I'm left alone again." Arcueid shrugged._

"_Well, I hope that you found your peace in the end, Ciel."_

_Why was she talking to a gravestone? It wasn't like Ciel could hear her or anything. In the end, it was just another pointless thing._

_She'd learnt to do pointless things a lot more often than before, it seemed._

_She wondered what Ciel's last moments had been like. Briefly, a thought fluttered through her mind that it would have been good for her to be at Ciel's side when she had passed on._

_Still, that was something she couldn't do anything about now. All she could was sit by Ciel's tombstone._

_In many ways, that wasn't so bad._

_And so she sat there, staring up at the endless blue sky._

* * *

Time was still as Arcueid stood within the silver castle.

"What is this?" the voice was bored, mocking.

Complete stillness within her heart.

Arcueid Brunestud looked up, and saw herself, and yet not herself.

The being stood staring at her with cold eyes.

"Not… now…" Arcueid whispered.

"At the very end, when a perfect replica of my being approaches my power, I am reborn," Crimson Moon continued. "But to a dead, barren earth? So much like the one where I was first killed. Truly an ironic fate, would you not say so, my child?"

Arcueid grimaced and shifted her attention away. "Leave me alone," she gasped. "Let me get back to the fight. I have to-"

_Protect humanity._

"You will fail," Brunestud's voice was clear and emotionless. "I at the height of my power would not be able to defeat the Ultimate One of Mercury. And you are not as powerful as I am, child. Not yet."

"I don't care," Arcueid's bared her teeth. "I'll protect humanity from it. Alaya's Counter Force can't do it – I'm the – only one…" She trailed off, feeling a white heat surge through her body.

_Why? Why now?_

"Even if you do by some chance defeat the Ultimate One of Mercury, there will be others. Will you stand in their way, then?" A thin smile graced Crimson Moon's lips. "You know as well as I do that you will grow weaker every day as Gaia's power fades. And you have foreseen your own death tonight."

"…" Arcueid fell to her knees, feeling a dizziness well up in her as Brunestud continued speaking in clear tones.

"What is that you fight for, child? To protect a humanity that cannot survive much longer anyway? Let us hear your answer."

"Because," Arcueid gasped. "It. Is the right thing… to do." Fighting the roaring in her ears, she staggered to her feet again. "It doesn't matter how difficult it may be or what the final result is. I won't let Humanity suffer such a death."

Abruptly, the pressure in her mind vanished. Brunestud shook her head and turned away.

"An impossible child, in the end. Do as you will. I've no need to rule a barren rock," slowly she began to fade away into the darkness. Before the shadows swallowed her completely, she paused.

"Hm. Let us see how the both of you fare within a different environment, shall we?"

_A different environment?_

"Have you forgotten, child?" just as Brunestud disappeared into the shadow, Arcueid could see a predatory smile on the Crimson Moon's face. "You are unique – a Type that can draw power from _two_ celestial beings."

And then suddenly Arcueid was back in the valley of crystal, facing ORT once more. Almost everything about the encounter was the same, except…

Except that high overhead shone a crimson moon.

_Interesting. Type Moon exists within you as well._

"Ha…" Even as Arcueid took in a deep breath, she could feel new power filling her body. ORT appeared affected in a different manner, the red rays creating an oppressive atmosphere for a being that had come from a planet with no moon.

Pausing a brief moment, Arcueid released a burst of her own power that tore through the energy web ORT had wound around her, allowing her to struggle back to her feet. She glanced down at her arm as blood flowed and flesh regrew itself, regenerating her hand back into place as if she had never been wounded at all.

Taking another deep breath, Arcueid prepared to continue the battle.

* * *

_Little Sister had died peacefully._

_That, according to Kohaku, was unusual for members of the Tohno bloodline – their demon blood had usually awakened in them, forcing them into various horrible fates. But for Little Sister it was different._

_She'd married some person whose name Arcueid could never be bothered to remember, mostly for the sake of political and business connections. Sometimes she wondered why Little Sister had decided to chain herself down like that, but she'd never got around to asking her to her face._

_She'd given birth to a pair of children, bundles of joy who'd always looked forward to visits from their 'Aunty Arc'. It was through visiting them and playing with them, leading them through the woods around the Tohno Mansion that Arcueid had finally began to laugh again._

_And then one day she'd knocked on the door to Little Sister's room, only to have no response. When she entered, she'd seen Little Sister still in the bed, looking for the entire world as if she were merely asleep._

_In contrast to Shiki's funeral, Little Sister's ceremony had been packed to overflowing. Arcueid, for her part had simply stood at the back, watching as yet another person passed out from her life, an uneasy feeling in her chest._

_She'd continued her visits to the mansion, making courtesy calls on Kohaku and Hisui and playing with little Shiki and Akira until that day._

_When halfway in the middle of a game of tag, Arcueid had suddenly noticed how soft and vulnerable the children's necks looked, how easy it would be for her to seize them and bite down and- and –_

_With a cry of fear Arcueid had leapt away from the children, clearing the wall of the Tohno mansion in a single bound. Ignoring their startled cries from behind her, she fled the mansion._

_She never appeared before them again. Returning to the Millennium Castle, she had finally sealed herself up once more, to wait for the end._

* * *

The boost the crimson moon provided her was a substantial one. Arcueid could move faster, hit harder, and keep up with ORT's attacks. Her regenerative powers were improved too – what wounds she received quickly sealed themselves away, allowing to keep up the offensive.

But she knew it still wasn't enough to beat it. She just didn't have the firepower. It was still stronger than her.

"Ssssst!" Focusing, Arcueid struck down on the outer hide of ORT with all her might, focusing the energy of her blow into a drilling motion that tore apart the material. Before ORT could heal the wound, Arcueid summoned chains from the Millennium Castle, sending them into the tear and damaging ORT still further.

_Your will is impressive. _ORT acknowledged simply, and with a jab of its leg sent Arcueid flying, minus most of her torso. _But you cannot defeat me like this._

He was right, Arcueid knew. She could not defeat ORT, as long as he stood within the boundaries of his Crystal Valley. So, how-

Another volley of crystal fire from ORT. Already regenerated, Arcueid dodged two of the blasts, deflected a third to send it flying back at ORT, and brought her hands up to block a blow from the last one.

_As long as I win this fight, it doesn't matter what happens to me, so -_

Putting everything into this one final push, Arcueid charged. As she did so, she focused, the still air forming themselves into a monstrous hurricanes, howling winds that whipped itself all around the colossus.

_What are you- _ORT briefly expressed surprise.

Her strongest blow yet – not intended to damage ORT, but simply to distract it for a precious, vital moment.

The way Brunestud had intended to retake control of her when her powers reached her peak was via a reality marble that she had implanted within the soul of every True Ancestor on the planet, which would manifest itself when one had reached her level in power.

Arcueid had reached that level now, and so, the reality marble had begun to grow. Closing her eyes, Arcueid reached within herself.

_**The World of the Moon**_

The surrounding land changed, instantly. This time, the crystal world dissolved itself, a dry dead sea of grey spreading out across the surroundings. In such close proximity to a newly created environment of the moon, Arcueid felt yet more power flow through her.

_Clever. But – _ORT steeled itself, the air around it sharpening as the creature focused on manifesting the environment that had spawned it. The ground was already beginning to change again, shifting back from the dead wasteland into hardened, shining rock. But for now, for a few precious seconds – ORT was not affected by its Crystal Valley.

_Brunestud, can you hear me?_ _I don't know what will happen to me after I do this, but… just for a moment, the powers of Moon's Ultimate One – lend it to me._

It was a gamble. Brunestud had manifested itself before Arcueid, which could only mean that the time for her revival was nigh. But Brunestud had decided to hold off on the final step for whatever reason, and so Arcueid was still in control.

But their souls were undeniably merging. With it brought pain and a loss of self – but with it brought power that she could never wield before. Focusing, she put a shape to her mind.

_**Alt Nagel**_

A sound like a roaring beast rocked the air around them, a crackling light that danced all across Arcueid's body as she forced herself into channelling this new power. Pain exploded across every nerve in her body as she forced her entire self and will into using this single attack. Muscles twisted and frayed, blood vessels writhed and tore apart, and white agony smashed into her brain, but still she held on, for the single vital moment.

From the sky, a blinding pillar of wind roared down, a 'nail' of heaven designed to instantly obliterate anything it struck. Caught in the very centre of the monstrous blast, even ORT's armoured hide could not withstand the sheer power of the attack for more than a fleeting moment. With a shriek of rending metal, ORT's defences were blown apart, its physical shell annihilated in a single instant. An inhuman scream of pain rent the night air, seemingly reverberating without end.

And then, a still, small voice.

_Power enough to erase my existence... Most impressive, Archetype Earth._

Physical damage was almost meaningless to a Type. Almost. But without any body, ORT would have no choice but to return to the planet that had birthed it in order to draw more power to rebuild its shattered frame.

"You… cannot… stay any longer," Arcueid whispered. "Your existence… Your concept may remain, but not on this planet. Begone."

There was only silence in reply. Arcueid fell to the ground, feeling the world spin, and a creeping darkness wash over her.

_Of course. That was to be expected. Channelling power that wasn't even mine to use… that's as far as I can go._

She could no longer feel any pain. Her body had begun to shut down, unable to sustain itself any longer.

She lay on the ground, feeling the life slowly drain from her as she stared up at the crimson moon.

"That's right…" she whispered. _I did what I came to do. To the very end – destroying someone who only destroyed in turn._ "So… disappearing like this might be… good… after all."

With that, she closed her eyes.

And Arcueid Brunestud, last of the True Ancestors, died.

* * *

Somewhere.

_What does it take to make a miracle?_

Somewhere, there is a land where the trees bear silver fruit.

_What lies beyond death? Beyond the soul? Beyond even the Void?_

A lake with crystal-clear water, in the middle of an endless field of grass and softly shining flowers, all under a starry sky.

_What does it mean to see eternity?_

A male, somewhat a boy, somewhat a man, sat by the side of the lake, waiting.

Perhaps he had been waiting for an hour.

Perhaps he had been waiting forever.

It was hard to tell, sometimes. Time did not flow. The stars did not change. The grass wavered endlessly in the eternal breeze.

One day, he knew, sunrise would come.

But for now, he waited.

And as he waited, he remembered.

"_Hey, Shiki," Arcueid's voice called to him from behind._

"_Hm? What is it?" he turned to look at her. "Is anything wrong? I thought you wanted to get to the movie theatre early."_

"_Yeah, I do, but…" she glanced to the side. "Shiki, what do you think about death?"_

"…_What?" Shiki touched a hand to his forehead and sighed. "What's with you always coming up with the worst times to ask strange questions like this? In the first place, someone like you who can't even die shouldn't be asking this sort of thing."_

"_That's not true, of course I can die!" Arcueid cocked her head to the side. "Or have you forgotten that you killed me before?"_

"_You're never going to let me forget," Shiki muttered under his breath. "But anyway, that was special. You yourself were the one who told me about how my eyes were so monstrous."_

"_Well, yeah, but – even under normal circumstances I'll die one day," Arcueid said as she walked up beside him. "I draw power from the planet, you know. And it's a lot weaker now than it was eight hundred years ago, thanks to the actions of humans. So logically, one day, when the planet is too weak, it'll die, and then I'll be able to die too."_

"_That's a pretty long way off into the future," Shiki sighed and glanced at Arcueid. "So why are you asking this now?"_

_Arcueid glanced down at the ground. "I was thinking more about you, Shiki. Your health's been getting worse, lately, so…"_

"_You're right. No matter what happens, I'll die long before you do," Shiki said as he looked up at the night sky. "I've accepted that already, though."_

"_I guess so," Arcueid said without much enthusiasm._

_They walked in silence for several more seconds before Arcueid turned to face him again. "Hey, Shiki?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_When I die, will I get to see you again?"_

"_Huh? How can I possibly answer that? I don't even believe in an afterlife or anything like that, Arc."_

"_It's okay if you don't. But if you're wrong and there is one… would we meet again?"_

"_I don't know," he finally admitted. "But I'd try. If I could, I'd definitely want to see you again."_

"_All right," she smiled and nodded. "Then, let's promise. Even after we die, no matter how long it takes, we'll try to meet each other again."_

"…" _He smiled and nodded back. "All right, I promise. No matter how long it takes."_

He had been waiting for a long time.

But he had also promised that he would never break a promise with her again.

Bound only by a promise, he had sat here, waiting.

_Perhaps._

Waiting.

_Perhaps something as simple as a promise._

For as long as it took.

_Perhaps something as simple as the union of two wills, of two souls._

Even in the complete silence, in the complete stillness, Shiki Tohno could say with absolute sincerity that he was drowning in bliss.

_Perhaps that is all it takes to achieve a miracle._

And then.

There was the rustle of grass as a shoe stepped on it, and Shiki Tohno gazed towards his left.

Dressed in white, with golden hair down to her shoulders.

Long, slender eyebrows over crimson eyes.

The figure he could never mistake for anyone else no matter what. A person he had left behind long ago.

For a while, there was only silence, as the two of them stared at each other. Then, Shiki Tohno stood up as Arcueid Brunestud walked over.

"So you were waiting for me, after all," her voice was soft.

He closed his eyes, smiled and nodded. "Well, a certain nagging hen would have been cross with me if I wasn't here when she showed up."

Her laugh was like bubbling water from a brook, clear and crystal. "That's true, too."

A silence fell upon the two of them suddenly, the two of them simply looking at each other. Then Shiki took a deep breath.

"Welcome back, Arcueid," he said softly, speaking from the heart. "I've… been waiting a really long time."

"Yes," she nodded. "I'm back. I'm glad I was able to see you again, Shiki."

A single moment, pregnant with expectation.

And suddenly he found that he had drawn her into a hug, her body pressed close to his, and her arms were coming up around him as well –

The two of them stood there in the moonlight, simply basking in the quiet joy of being able to meet again. _Later_, Shiki thought. Later he would bring Arcueid over the hills, to the city that lay beyond, where there were so many people waiting for the both of them –

But for now, it was just the two of them, two lovers reunited at long last at the end of eternity.

* * *

Thanks for reading this story.

Hm, I don't think I'm too good with fight scenes like these.

In any case, I'd appreciate it if you left me some reviews for the work.

Next: Magical White Moon Princess Phantasmoon versus the Black Beast Coulter


	12. Phantasmoon vs Black Beast Coulter

The World of the Moon

* * *

Twelve: White Moon Princess Phantasmoon vs the Black Beast Coulter

Well, here we are. Part two of the Phantasmoon saga.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

"Absolutely **NOT**." Akiha's was using that voice again. The voice that could effectively shut down any argument or discourse around her, leaving her free to make her proclamations unchallenged.

Nevertheless, Shiki stood his ground. "Why not, Akiha? It's only for a couple of days, and we've more than enough rooms in the mansion."

"Because," Akiha's glare had sharpened as she raised her teacup to her lips. "In case you have forgotten, we know _nothing_ about that woman. Where she comes from, what she's doing while dressed like that, or anything else that would be useful."

That, Shiki reflected, was not entirely true. He did indeed know quite a bit about Arcueid's motives and reasons for being here, it was just that he believed mentioning them would be counterproductive to his goal of getting Arcueid a room in the mansion for the next few days.

"She's just come from out of town, and she's had some trouble securing a room, that's all," Shiki half-lied. Stripping as much context from your sentence as possible didn't count as a full lie, did it?

"You appear to be arguing very stridently for someone you claim to barely know, Nii-san," suspicion leaked from Akiha's voice.

_Yeah, it's true that I barely know her,_ Shiki thought to himself, _but it's also true that I wronged her. And I was taught that I always have to take responsibility for my mistakes. So…_

"It's because I don't want to turn her out into the cold, Akiha," Shiki said. "We have a chance to help her out, so I think we should take it."

"Indeed. Well, I remain certain that she should be able to secure lodgings for herself without undue trouble even if I don't open up a guest room for her, so-"

"Akiha, please, think about this-"

"That's enough, Shiki." The voice came from behind him, and Akiha and Shiki turned to regard Arcueid standing in the doorway of the room, arms folded.

"I know where I'm not wanted," she continued. "So thanks for sticking up for me, but I'll manage on my own from now on." As she said that, she turned away and began heading for the front door.

"Hey – ah, wait a moment!" On an impulse, Shiki broke into a run, catching up to Arcueid just as she rounded the corner.

"Are you sure about this? I thought it was important to you that you find a place to lay low," he whispered into her ear.

She smiled back at him. "Don't worry about it, Shiki. I'm used to being treated with suspicion. I guess it comes with the job and all."

"But that vampire you're looking for…"

"He doesn't know I'm here yet, so with any luck I'll be able to get my wand repaired before I have to face him," Arcueid paused and looked at Shiki. "By the way, thanks for what happened back there. Even if you couldn't convince your sister, I'm glad you tried to intervene on my behalf."

"Ah, well…" Shiki pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose, and for some reason he felt his collar growing warm. "I had to pay you back for breaking your wand, didn't I? I'm just sorry I couldn't actually convince my sister."

"Well, no worries. I'll make do."

There was a slight pause, and with a cough, Shiki spoke up again. "Well, I'll see you to the front door. It's really the least I can do."

The two of them walked in silence through the hallways of the mansion, passing by Kohaku who merely raised an inquisitive eyebrow as they strolled by in tandem. Finally, at the front gate of the mansion, Arcueid turned back to Shiki.

"Well, thanks. I guess this is it."

Shiki nodded once. "Yeah… I guess it is. Goodbye."

There was silence for the briefest of moments, and then Arcueid turned, heading down the path back into the city as Shiki watched her leave.

* * *

Dinner that night was more uncomfortable than was standard for the Tohno family. Both siblings ate in complete silence, neither raising their head to look at the other, while the two maids simply stood at the ready.

Once his food was finished, Shiki pushed his chair back, "I'm a little tired," he said without preamble. "I'll be going to my room now."

"Nii-san," Akiha finally spoke up for the first time since she'd sat down at the dinner table. "Please, wait a moment. I would like to question you further on that girl from this afternoon."

"There doesn't appear to be anything more to the tale than what you already know, Akiha."

"Indeed?" there was a cold gleam in his sister's eye. "A mysterious woman who appears out of the blue carrying an unconscious you home, and later you start campaigning for her to stay in our house. You mean to tell me that there is nothing more to it than that?"

"The reason I wanted to help her find a place to stay was because she helped me in the first place." Shiki countered testily. "Like I said, there's nothing else to this tale, and in any case, the matter's moot – you've already sent her off."

Before Akiha or the maids could say anything further, Shiki had turned and strode away from the table.

* * *

"Huff… huff…"

_Where did he… where did they come from?_

Rustling in the trees all around. Snapping branches.

_Was he hunting me? Did he know I would be here?_

An attack from the side. Sudden.

No way to dodge.

No way to defend.

"Ah!"

Pain. So much pain.

_Can't keep it up like this. Have to… get away…_

But where?

_Only one place._

_Only…_

* * *

Shiki lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Sleep was not forthcoming for him tonight.

He was still thinking about the girl who had appeared before him, and who had just as suddenly vanished from his life.

_This is stupid. I'd met her for all of an afternoon, so why can't I stop thinking about her?_ She was pretty, true but it wasn't like that was enough to get him pining for her.

Wasn't it?

_Nah,_ Shiki shook his head. More likely he was just worried about the apparent danger Arcueid was throwing herself into. Danger that would apparently be all the greater because of what he had did.

And on that note… he sat up in bed, glancing warily at the knife that he had placed on his desk.

_What was that earlier today? Why did I want to hurt Arcueid?_

That feeling that he had when he had caught sight of her was unmistakeable. He had wanted to kill Arcueid.

That that sudden desire had faded as quickly as it came was good, but it was still troubling him. If it hadn't been for Arcueid's transformation into… well, Phantasmoon, he wouldn't have been distracted, and then he would have…

"That's over and done with," he mumbled to the night air, trying to convince himself. "There's no more reason to care about that sort of thing."

_Thump._

A sound, almost too small to be heard, so soft that Shiki almost wrote it off as nothing more than his imagination.

"Eh?" Straining his ears, Shiki listened again, trying to catch if there was any other noise.

Nothing.

For a moment, he considered simply dismissing the noise and returning to bed, but something in him told him that he might as well check. After all, if it was nothing, then he'd just have wasted a few seconds.

With a grunt, Shiki stood from his bed and made his way over to the window. As he gazed out of it, his eyes widened in shock and horror.

There, lying limp and motionless on the grass, was the blood-covered form of –

"ARCUEID!"

* * *

By the time he had made his way down to the front lawn of the mansion, Arcueid had apparently recovered enough strength for her to stand up and to totter a few more steps in the direction of the house. As he hurried over to her, she caught sight of him and gave him an unsteady smile.

"Oh… hello, Shiki. Sorry to drop… in… unannounced." She stumbled again and Shiki hurriedly reached out to catch her.

"Don't talk, stupid!" he sputtered. "You're covered in wounds!"

"Oh, those?" another smile. "Don't worry, it's not as bad as… it looks…"

"The heck it isn't!" he retorted. "Come on, get inside the mansion and then we can treat your wounds."

Before any reply could be made, the door to the mansion was thrown open again, and Kohaku was standing in the doorway, warm orange light streaming over her shoulders.

"Kohaku!" Shiki called. "Could you get a medical kit ready?"

Several minutes later, Shiki stood watching impatiently as Kohaku cleaned and dressed Arcueid's wounds.

"My, my, Arcueid-san," Kohaku said cheerily as she continued her work. "These wounds look like they were made from a dog or wolf of some kind. Did you accidentally get into a fight with a guard dog?"

"Well, not exactly, but-"

"Kohaku, what's all the commotion about?" Rounding the corner, Akiha strode into the sitting room, pulling up short as she caught sight of Arcueid being tended to by Kohaku. "What's all this?"

"I don't know, Akiha-sama," Kohaku answered honestly. "I just heard a noise outside, and when I went to check I saw Shiki-san helping a wounded Arcueid-san into the mansion."

"Is that so?" Akiha shot Shiki a look out of the corner of her eye but said nothing. "How serious are those wounds, Kohaku?"

"Hm. Well, most of them seem rather superficial, but there's one on her back that's pretty deep – it'll take a while for her to recover from that one."

"I see," Akiha's lowered her head and nodded once. "It appears that I'll be putting up that room for you after all, Arcueid-san. Hisui, if you please." At a word from Akiha, the quiet maid bowed once and then left the room quickly.

"I thought you didn't want me staying over?" Arcueid questioned as she lifted an arm to let Kohaku put a bandage on it.

"It is true that I do not trust you," Akiha said as she gazed steadily at the blonde-haired woman. "Nevertheless I will not turn away someone who is wounded, especially not to such an extent. Make no mistake, however, Arcueid-san. I demand a full explanation for all this when morning comes." And with that, she turned on her heel to leave the room.

After Akiha had left, Shiki coughed. "Er, Arcueid? Do you want some water or anything?"

She smiled gratefully at him. "Actually, that would be nice."

As he headed for the kitchen in order to get her the water he wanted, Shiki couldn't help but wonder just what had transpired. He knew that she was fighting a vampire, and Shiki wasn't entirely too familiar with how vampires operated, but he had the feeling that they didn't fight with claws and teeth like animals, which were the wounds that Arcueid were covered with.

_Maybe it was his pet or something?_

By the time he had returned with the glass of water, Kohaku had almost finished her work, and Arcueid accepted the drink gratefully. As she drained the glass, Hisui appeared in the doorway once more.

"Excuse me, Arcueid-sama. But your room has been prepared. Shall I lead you to it?"

"Yes, thanks!" another bright smile, and Arcueid was on her feet. "Well, Shiki, Kohaku, thanks for everything. Good night."

"Good night," Shiki waved at her as she left the room. Only then did he realize that Kohaku had come up behind him.

"Shiki-san? Is there anything… _different_ about Arcueid-san?"

He tensed at the sudden question. "W – why do you ask, Kohaku?"

One arm clutched at the other as a rare troubled expression made its way onto her face. "When I told Akiha-sama that one of her wounds was serious, I was not lying. But I had downplayed the severity of the matter. To be honest, it was not something any ordinary human could survive. But in Arcueid-san's case, she was able to endure this wound without great complaint," her amber eyes stared deep into his. "Shiki-san, you're the one who knows her the best, so… is there something special about her?"

Shiki turned away, remembering the slickness of the blood on Arcueid's body as he had grabbed onto her. He glanced down at his hands and shirt, still with her dried blood on it. "I'm sorry, Kohaku…" he began.

"Oh, no need to apologize, Shiki-san!"

"No, it's just that I don't feel like I should reveal her secrets," he smiled at the maid. "Akiha said that she would be questioning Arcueid tomorrow. If she's willing to come clean with everything, then I suppose you'll get your answer then."

Kohaku smiled and nodded. "Well, that's all right, then. As for you, Shiki-san, you should change out of those clothes and get a bath before you get to sleep."

"Yeah, I think I'll do that. Good night, Kohaku."

"Good night, Shiki-san."

* * *

Morning found Shiki and Akiha seated at the breakfast table, an unusual tenseness hanging in the air as both of them waited for the newest addition to the household to join them for breakfast.

"Hisui, please go see what is keeping Arcueid-san," Akiha finally said as she began to butter one of her slices of toast. "I would very much like to get to the bottom of-"

"Morning, Shiki!" A cheerful voice sounded and Arcueid had plopped down into an empty seat, a smile on her face. "Morning, Ms Akiha! A great day, isn't it?"

"Yes, it most certainly is…" Akiha murmured. "May I ask where you got those new clothes?"

"Oh, these?" Arcueid look down at herself. A white t-shirt with a sunflower emblem on the right side of her chest coupled with a pair of worn denim jeans combined together to give her a cheerful 'girl next door' feel. For a moment, Shiki was reminded of his Sensei. Her sense of clothing had been pretty plain, too. "Hisui lent them to me. She said she doesn't really wear these kind of normal clothes, so letting me have them was no big deal. They're a little tight across the chest, but aside from that they're great! Thanks for that!" she aimed a smile at Hisui.

"No, it is the duty of a maid to ensure that all guests are comfortable," Hisui replied as she bowed slightly.

"Anyway, as you may remember, I told you last night that I wanted the full story out of you," Akiha's eyes bored into Arcueid. "Whenever I ask Nii-san about you, he gets evasive. Lying is not one of Nii-san's great talents, as you can imagine-"

"Thanks, Akiha." Shiki muttered.

"Therefore," Akiha continued as if she had not heard him. "I must now ask about the truth of your situation. Depending on your answer, I may be willing to put you up for the few more days that you have requested, or I may have to demand that you vacate my house immediately after breakfast. So, Arcueid-san. If you please."

"Okay, well… where to begin," Arcueid tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Okay, the truth is that I'm a Magical Girl."

The teacup that had been halfway to Akiha's mouth froze. "A… what?"

"Oh, you know," Arcueid waved her hands vaguely. "One of those warriors of peace and justice, with transformations and sparkles and everything. I've been travelling the world the past few years fighting evil wherever I meet it, and so I ended up in Misaki City hunting my latest target. But then Shiki here cut –" she paused, glanced at Shiki quickly, and shook her head. "Shiki broke my wand, which means that I can't use a lot of my magic properly now. So I needed a place to stay a few days while I fix my wand. And, after last night, to recover from my wounds as well, I guess."

The teacup was trembling now, Shiki noted. Not a good sign.

"Arcueid-san," Akiha's voice was low. "If this is your idea of a joke, I would like to assure you that it is certainly not a good one."

"Jeez, you humans are all the same," Arcueid pouted. "Whenever I tell the truth you always think I'm lying or crazy or something," then she brightened up. "Well, after last night I'm really running low on my magic, but I can still do this!" and she brought her hand forward, palm up.

"What are you-" Akiha's voice was cut off as a tiny sphere of light formed in Arcueid's hand.

With a smile, Arcueid leaned forward and blew on the sphere, sending sparkles of rainbow light all over the dining room in a dazzling array of colour.

When the sparkles had faded, Arcueid folded her arms and sat back, a rather satisfied expression on her face as she faced the four other people in the dining room. "Well, still think I'm lying, Ms. Akiha?"

Akiha look at her for a long moment, then turned to regard her tea. Blowing out a deep breath, Akiha, brought the cup to her lips and swallowed the entirety of the cup's contents at once.

Then she stood, her breakfast apparently forgotten. "I will give you my answer by the end of today," she said tonelessly as she strode off towards her own room.

"Yeah, after I reveal my magic to them they tend to do that too," Arcueid mused as she stroked her chin.

* * *

Arcueid yawned and stretched as she stared out the window. After Shiki had departed for school, she had been left in the mansion with nothing much to do. Well, accept trying to fix Alt, but right now she was a little too distracted for that.

Mostly with trying to explore the mansion. Since Akiha had more or less given her free run of the place now, Arcueid was spending her morning poking around the household, finding out more about the place.

"You seem unusually interested in the place, Arcueid-san," Kohaku said as she passed Arcueid in the hallway, a broom in hand. "Are you not used to mansions of this sort?"

"Well, no, not really. I mean, I've been in some big houses before, but I always liked seeing the decorations and paintings that each individual owner would put up," Arcueid's smile was wide. "Sometimes all the stuff has personal meaning to the owner, and sometimes it's just there as a status symbol, but it's always fun to see those things!"

"Ahaha…" Kohaku's chuckled into her sleeve. "Well, Arcueid-san. If you like, I can give you a more guided tour later after my duties for the day have been finished."

"Got it! Thanks, Kohaku!" Arcueid continued her way down the mansion, pausing only when she saw Hisui exiting a room.

"Good morning, Arcueid-sama," Hisui bowed slightly.

"Good morning, Hisui," Arcueid returned the greeting. "What's in that room?"

"Oh, that is Shiki-sama's personal room," Hisui glanced behind her. "I have just finished cleaning it for the day."

"Shiki's room, huh…" Arcueid cupped her chin again. _It's facing the side where I collapsed last night. I guess that's why he was able to respond so quickly._ She blinked. _Oh yeah, I haven't thanked Shiki for coming to help me last night. I should do it when he gets home later._

And so she continued on her merry way.

* * *

_I'll have to thank Arcueid for not revealing the weirdness of my eyes to Akiha._ Shiki thought as he trudged up the hill that led to his new home. _I guess she realized I was never very comfortable thinking about that sort of thing._

As he walked, he couldn't help but wonder about Akiha's final verdict. Arcueid had still kept some details from Akiha, such as the fact that her current target was a vampire, although Shiki didn't see it as being particularly relevant.

The fact remained that while Arcueid was badly in need of shelter right now, her remaining at the mansion would also be a danger to everyone else in the area.

As temperamental as Akiha was, would she err on the side of caution or compassion in the end? Having just been reintroduced to his sister after an absence of eight years, Shiki was honestly at a lost as to what she would ultimately choose.

_Thump. Clang._

_Patter._

Blinking, Shiki glanced down the alleyway he had just passed by. Had he just seen… shapes flitting through the gloom?

Silence.

No. Shiki shook his head. Maybe it was just a stray cat or something.

With a sigh, he continued up the hill back to the mansion.

* * *

"Excuse me," Arcueid asked politely, "but do you know when Ms Akiha will be back?"

"It's not always easy to say," Kohaku chuckled. "Akiha-sama's business always calls her out at the most esoteric hours. She assured me that she would be home in time for dinner tonight, though."

"I see." And at the moment, the front doors to the mansion swung open, and Hisui stepped in, carrying Shiki's briefcase. Following closely behind her was-

"I'm home," Shiki called.

"Oh, Shiki!" Arcueid smiled at him. "It's good to see you again!"

"Ah – yeah, you too," Shiki replied after a brief pause. "Arcueid, would you mind following me for a while? There's something I need to talk about."

"Hm? Okay then," nodding, Arc trotted after Shiki into the kitchen, where he turned to face her.

"Now, I just wanted to make sure, but… those wounds you got last night, were they from the vampire you were hunting?"

"Oh, no," Arcueid shook her head. "To be honest, I wasn't expecting that attack at all. Someone must be deliberately trying to hunt me down."

A troubled expression was now on Shiki's face. "Well, in that case, who – or what – was it that attacked you?"

"I'm still not sure. I have a guess, but to be honest, there are a large number of vampires out there that would use familiars, especially common ones like wolves and dogs. The one I'm hunting doesn't, though."

"Wolves and dogs…" Shiki murmured.

"Shiki?"

"I think I heard something following me on the way back home, today," he said by way of explanation. "At first I thought it was just a stray cat or something, but then I remembered your wounds."

"You think they might have realized that I've come here," Arcueid said, her expression sharpening. "Well, in that case, I'll have to-"

"Don't be stupid," he countered testily. "You yourself told me this morning that you can barely do any magic anymore. You won't be able to fight them off."

"Ah, yeah, but…" she trailed off, glancing at the ground.

Shiki sighed, and, not meeting her gaze, ran a hand through his hair. "I'll do it." He mumbled softly.

"Eh?"

"I said that I'll do it. I might be able to handle the dogs since I can see their lines." He explained.

"But they're after me, not you," Arcueid shook her head. "Shiki, you yourself told me that you're not a fighter. You won't be able to fight them off."

"But I have to try," his gaze had hardened. "Arcueid, it's because of me that you can't use your magic right now. So, I have to make up for that, won't I?"

"…" Arcueid gritted her teeth. While she had certainly planned on making Shiki her partner, that had been done on the unspoken assumption that he was a decent fighter. The time she had spent in his vicinity had been enough to convince her that he was no such thing.

She glanced out the window at the fading sunlight. There was still time. Vampires would not move actively until deep nightfall. She let out a deep breath.

There was still time.

She could hear the front door opening, and Kohaku's voice.

"Oh, Akiha-sama! Just in time! Dinner's nearly ready to be served!"

* * *

The tension around the table was even thicker than it had been in the morning. With both Arcueid and Akiha apparently having something important to say, there was only the unspoken issue of which one of them would go first.

Finally, laying her fork down on the table, Akiha took in a deep breath. "Arcueid-san, concerning your request to stay at our mansion, I have reached a decision on that matter."

"I see," Arcueid nodded as she sat up straight. "Well, as it happens, I've something to say regarding the matter as well."

"Do you?" Akiha raised an eyebrow. "Then, by all means, let us-"

The window to the mansion shattered with a crash and a dark shape rocketed into the room, making a beeline for Arcueid.

"Down!" Arcueid snapped as she pushed the stunned Hisui out of the way before dodging to the side as well.

_I'd miscalculated._ Arcueid thought frantically as she turned to face the beast. _I'd thought they'd only operate at night. But if they're able to launch an attack while there's still some daylight, then… it's even worse than I thought. Only one of them has the strength to accomplish this._

The hound trained its burning eyes on her, the black fur all along its body tense as it prepared to leap a second time. Frantically, Arcueid brought her hands together to prepare a defensive spell, already knowing it was useless. The beast had managed to tear through a far stronger shield yesterday, and Arcueid simply hadn't had the time to recover.

The hound leapt at her, jaws already opening to clamp down on her throat.

Except that one of its hind legs was now a shrivelled husk that could not support any weight.

With a yelp of surprise, its misaligned leap sent it crashing into the dining table, sending cutlery all around the room in a shower of crashes and clatters. Arcueid whipped her gaze about frantically. _Who-_

Standing calmly at the far end of the room, Akiha stared at the beast with cold, merciless eyes. Arcueid blinked. Since when had Akiha's hair been red?

Then, she felt almost-imperceptible threads of energy flowing through the air, targeting the beast again – except that the dog was now prepared. Howling with rage, it charged straight at Akiha, its strength allowing it to close the distance quickly even with only three functioning legs. She was hit hard and sent sprawling, and the hound followed up on its attack, baring its fangs and preparing to bite down hard on her neck.

"No!" with a cry, Arcueid leapt after the beast, her magic forgotten. Landing on the surprised monster's back, Arcueid managed to pull the beast back from Akiha, even though her decreased strength made holding on to the hound a challenge.

It was then that she saw Shiki running up to them, knife held at the ready. Distantly, a part of her mind saw that he wasn't wearing his glasses.

With a quick slice, the chest of the monster was torn open, and it collapsed to the floor, its struggles growing feebler by the second until finally it ceased.

A moment later, the creature turned into a viscous black goo that quickly melted away, earning a visible start of surprise from Hisui.

There was a silence in the room for several long moments, broken only by the sound of heavy breathing from everyone in the room. Finally, Akiha stood, and began brushing off debris from her clothing.

"As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted," she continued smoothly. "Arcueid-san, you may stay within this mansion for as long as you wish."

"Eh? Huh?" Arcueid blinked as she stared up at Akiha from her position on the floor. "Are you serious? But… this is… I'm a target now. Like what just happened! If I stay here, it'll only drag the rest of you into the conflict! That's why I wanted to tell you I don't need this place anymore."

"Yes," Akiha nodded. "I acknowledge the danger that is posed by your presence here. However, I've consulted both Kohaku and Hisui and we have agreed that turning you out into the cold is not an acceptable compromise," her face took on a more annoyed bent. "I didn't need to ask Nii-san, since I already knew what his answer would be."

Taking a step forward, Akiha leaned forward and reached out a hand to help pull Arcueid back to her feet. And at the same time, a rare gentle smile showed on her face.

"Welcome to the Tohno Mansion, Arcueid-san. I hope you'll enjoy your stay here."

* * *

It was several hours later that Arcueid paused as she stood on the balcony of this room.

She was thinking.

_If it attacked me while there was still sunlight, it could only come from him. But in that case his usual method would be to overwhelm his opponent with as many of his beasts as possible. Sending a single hound, even if it was a really powerful one, is totally against his methods._

_Unless he didn't intend to attack me at all. The same as last night, there was just this one beast._

_A forward scout, then? After seeing how weak I was, did it decide to try to finish me off on itself?_

Arcueid couldn't be sure. And because she couldn't be sure, she couldn't take a risk. She needed to-

"I hope you're not thinking of running off by yourself." Shiki's voice came from behind her.

Arcueid turned to look at Shiki. "My presence here is a danger to all of you, Shiki," she said softly. "Before, when I thought that the enemy didn't know I was here yet, I could stay here and keep hidden while rebuilding my power. But now that's not an option."

"Then tell me what you plan on doing if you leave and have no place to hide."

Arcueid bit her lip. "I… I don't know," she finally admitted. "But I can't keep putting you all in danger."

She closed her eyes. "Everything… everything was so much simpler two days ago."

As the night wore on, she simply stood there in the night air, with Shiki standing behind her.

* * *

"Your tea, Akiha-sama, " Kohaku bowed as she presented Akiha with a cup of red tea. Akiha nodded and raised the cup to her lips.

"Tell me, Kohaku. Did you notice, during the fight?"

"Notice, Akiha-sama?"

"When Shiki attacked that monster," her expression clouded over. "The cut was… unnatural. Far too easy, and far too smooth. There's something he's not telling me."

Kohaku chuckled. "Akiha-sama, if we're going down that path, what do you think he thought of you withering the leg of that dog like that?"

"Yes," Akiha muttered. "It seems we all have our secrets to keep from each other."

"Arcueid-san included, no?" Kohaku said as she collected the empty teacup.

"Arcueid-san? What about her?" Akiha glanced over at Kohaku.

"You didn't notice? This morning, when she demonstrated her magic to us. She called us 'You humans'." And with that, Kohaku turned and left the room, taking the tea tray with her.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

Bah. Such a long chapter, and mostly for setup purposes. Oh well, the next Phantasmoon episode should give the time needed for more Arcueid-in-Tohno-Household hijinks.

Also, **there will be no update next week.** Updates will continue on their scheduled course the week after.

Thank you for reading.

I would appreciate it if you reviewed.

Next: Promise


	13. Promise

The World of the Moon

* * *

Thirteen: Promise

Wow. No reviews at all for the last one? Was it _that_ bad? I'd like it if people told me when they don't care about a particular piece – it'll help me to improve my writing.

Well, in any case, I hope you enjoy this new update more. It's pretty much pointless, plotless fluff. I like doing that once in a while.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

The reason for today was simple.

They had promised, after all.

_"When this is all over-when we're done defeating this vampire... Before we part, can't we do something like this just once more?"_

It hadn't been so long ago.

The two of them, standing in a classroom, lit by the orange rays of the setting sun.

_"Eh-? What do you mean?"_

_"I'm saying after your task is finished, let's do these pointless things one more time."_

He had wanted to give her more happy memories. He had wanted to spend more time with her.

He had wanted to see her smile again.

"_Okay! When everything's over, let's come here again! It won't have any meaning, but I'm sure it will be really, really fun!"_

And so.

"_That's right."_

In the classroom bathed by the sunset -

"_It'll definitely be fun."_

The vampire princess smiled and made a promise with the young boy.

* * *

Shiki took in a deep breath as he looked out at the city, the first bright rays of the dawn sun only just beginning to peek out from behind the spires of the taller office buildings in the distance. He had gotten up a lot earlier than normal today. Well, he'd told Hisui to ensure that he was to be out of bed by six at the latest, even if it involved pouring ice water over his face.

Akiha had been up by then, of course, but she hadn't said anything to him as he entered the sitting room. There had merely been a single drawn-out sigh of irritation as Shiki picked up the basket that Kohaku had left on the table. Only when he had reached the doorway did she speak up.

"Nii-san."

"Yes, what is it, Akiha?" he'd turned back to face her, the question on his lips.

"Have fun."

She had never raised her face from the document that she was going through.

Nevertheless he had smiled. "I will. Thanks, Akiha."

And now here he was, walking down the street as the city stirred and began to slowly come to life all around him, the first of the businessmen and women starting to step out of their homes.

He made his way at a steady pace to the apartment block – a place he'd come to know very well. Without even pausing to look at the numbers on the doors, he made his way to one particular home and rapped on the door once.

The was the light thud of footfalls from within, and then the door was thrown open, and Shiki had the vague impression of a white blur rushing at him, and suddenly, he felt arms wrapping around his back, and a warmth pressing against his body from the front.

Not for the first time, Shiki wondered how the vampire princess, a being so impossibly powerful, someone as cold as vicious as her in combat, someone born as a living avatar of the planet itself –

Could feel so soft and warm and, well, _cuddly_, in his arms.

"Good morning, Arcueid," he said softly, a smile on his face.

"Morning, Shiki!" she beamed at him as she pulled away so she could look him in the eye. "You're early!"

A sheepish chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. "Actually, I thought it might take a while to wake you up, so…"

A pout appeared on her face. "Hey, Shiki, what do you take me for? I'm not like you who breaks a promise to sleep at home. I've been up since three getting ready!"

"Arcueid, I told you that – wait, three?" he stared at her. "Why did you do that? If you'd gotten up so early, you should have just went back to sleep."

"Yeah, I thought about doing that," stepping past Shiki, Arcueid looked up at the endless blue sky. "But as I was lying down on the bed, I kept thinking about all the things we could do today, and I got so excited that there was no way I could go back to sleep."

"But still…"

"I'll be fine, Shiki!" in the early morning, her bright smile was blinding. "I don't get tired easily. Not anymore. So let's go," reaching out, she grasped his hand tightly. "You'll be taking me many places today, won't you?"

"That's right," he affirmed with a nod. "Let's go."

Hand in hand, the two of them exited the apartment. A new day awaited the both of them.

* * *

Breakfast was at the park. In the basket Shiki had brought was a large tablecloth, enough for the both of them to settle themselves down comfortably as Shiki opened the sandwiches and juice that Kohaku had made for the both of them.

"Here," he handed her a piece, and Arcueid looked down at it, a curious expression on her face.

"Hey, Shiki, who made this?"

"Hm? Oh, one of the maids at the mansion where I live. Her name's Kohaku. Don't worry, she's a fantastic cook."

"Oh," she nodded thoughtfully. "I thought you were the one who'd made them."

Shiki chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry, Arcueid, but I'm not that good a cook."

"Oh, is that so?" Arcueid lifted the sandwich to her mouth and took a bite. Chewing slowly, she spoke up again. "Still, I think I'd like it if you made breakfast for me."

There was a moment of silence on Shiki's part. Then he laughed. "Sure, Arcueid. Some other day, though."

"That's right," Arcueid smiled and nodded as well. "These sandwiches are really good, though."

"Aren't they?" finishing the first one, Shiki dipped his hand into the basket once more, Shiki drew out another pair. "I wasn't sure what kind you'd like, so I asked Kohaku to make a variety of them. Here, this one has tuna in it."

And for a while, the two of them simply sat on the grass, eating their breakfast, watching people filter into the park, whether to exercise or to walk their pets or simply to hang out.

Glancing at a couple who were busy walking their dogs through the park, Shiki absentmindedly raised his sandwich to his lips. It wasn't until he felt the soft strands of hair brushing against his cheek that he realized Arcueid had leaned forward and began to nibble at his own sandwich, with the consequence that her face was less than five centimetres away from his.

"A – Arcueid!" he jerked away, feeling his face grow hot. Up close, her ruby eyes were captivating.

She stared at him with innocent curiosity. "What? I just wanted to see what your sandwich tasted like."

"You could have just asked! There was no need for you to come so close like that!"

"Oh?" her head was cocked to one side now. "I thought you liked it when I was close to you."

"That – that's not – it's different when –" he sputtered, certain that he had to be as red as a tomato by now. "Just don't do that again, okay?"

Arcueid laughed lightly. "All right, if you say so, Shiki."

Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Shiki finished his sandwich, trying not to think of gorgeous red eyes that shone with warmth as they looked at him.

* * *

A short return to Arcueid's apartment to drop off the now-empty basket, and then they were off again, walking hand-in-hand down the main street.

"A department store?" Arcueid was, as usual, all inquisitiveness and questions. "What's there to do in here, Shiki?"

"Well, buying things, of course," Shiki scratched his chin nervously. He'd planned to come here on the unspoken understanding that most girls liked shopping and buying things, but on the other hand, Arcueid wasn't like most girls, was she?

Well, it wasn't like he could turn back now, so he faced her with an encouraging smile. "It's mostly for shopping. There're a lot of different stores here selling different things," _most of it clothing_. "There's also a movie complex at the top floor, and I've gotten us tickets for a show later."

"Okay!" she laughed. "That sounds interesting. Come on, let's go see what there is to buy!"

As they stepped into the store, Shiki instinctively winced at the blast of cold air that seemed to always line the entrances to these kinds of places. Once he was past that minor hurdle, he realized that he had stepped into the ladies' department, and the two of them were staring at row upon row of clothing.

"Wow," Arcueid breathed out as she took a step into the maze of racks and shelves and boxes. "There's so much stuff in here."

Not for the first time, Shiki reflected that the only clothes he had ever seen Arcueid wear was her combination of a white sweater and a long, purple skirt. Not that the elegant simplicity of the design didn't match her very well, but, still…

"You don't have many other sets of clothing, do you?" he questioned as he matched her pace.

"No, not really," Arcueid smiled at him. "Whenever I went out before, I usually just picked something that fits the society that I would be entering. That's all I really know about clothing – how to make sure it looks inconspicuous."

Silently, Shiki reflected that someone like Arcueid remaining inconspicuous in a place like Misaki City was always going to be an impossibility, regardless of choice of clothing. Aside from the obvious tells like the colour of her hair that marked her as a foreigner, her stunning beauty caught the gaze of almost everyone from the mere act of walking down the street – something Shiki had witnessed personally on more than one occasion.

Leaving that thread of thought aside, he nodded and looked Arcueid. "Well, now that you'll be spending more time in one place here… would you like to buy some new clothes?"

She looked at him, a question in her eyes. "But all my current clothes are still fine, Shiki. I don't need new clothes."

"It's not about need, Arcueid," silently, he wondered if he really should be prodding her down the path of becoming a mall rat, but he'd always felt that this would be the sort of thing she'd enjoy. "A lot of the time, people buy clothes because they just want to try something different, and they want to look good."

"L – look good," Shiki hadn't expected Arcueid to suddenly turn away with an uncomfortable expression on her face.

"Arcueid?"

"I… I don't really understand human beauty, Shiki," she gave him a bashful smile, a faint tinge of pink gracing her cheeks. "Like that time in the park when you told me about how people would naturally want to talk to me because I was incredibly beautiful. That was the first time I'd ever thought about how I looked to other people," her gaze roamed down the rows of belts and shoes and blouses and skirts. "What would look good on me? That red skirt? Or that black one? I really don't have any idea."

"…" Shiki was silent. _Damn it, I thought that this would be a nice way to help Arcueid get more acclimated into human society, but all I've done is remind her of how different she is from humans. I screwed up…_

Then, intruding on his thoughts, came a light chuckle, and he looked up to see Arcueid with her familiar smile on her face.

"I guess that's why I'm so lucky that you're here with me, huh, Shiki?" taking his hand, she led him along the aisles. "I can ask for your help to see what looks good on me!"

"M – my help?"

"Of course!" her smile grew even wider. "After all, if I'm going to be buying new clothes, the person I'd want to look good for is you, Shiki!"

He felt his face go warm again, and he turned away hastily. "O, of course helping you won't be a problem!" he sputtered, a trifle hastily.

"Shiki?"

He let out a long breath, and the next time he looked up, his own smile was gentle. "Well, what about that black dress over there?"

"Huh? That one?"

"You're always dressed in white, so I thought it might make a good contrast," mentally, Shiki envisioned the soft whiteness of her skin contrasted against the deep black of the dress hanging on the rack. "Of course, the choice is up to you. There's a dressing room over there that you can try if you want."

Arcueid was silentl as she lifted the article of clothing from the rack delicately, like it was some fragile creature that she had to handle with care. With a quick look at Shiki, she quickly entered the dressing room, leaving Shiki to wait outside.

As he waited, he silently pondered the afternoon. The movie would start at eleven, and at two hours long, it would end just in time for them to have lunch together. And after that…

"So, how do I look?" came the hesitant voice as the door to the dressing room creaked open and Arcueid stood in the doorway, one hand reaching down to smooth the creases on the dress. Shiki paused and blinked as he took in the sight.

It wasn't that the dress was elaborate – indeed, most of the material was plain and unadorned, with only the cuffs, collar, and hem of the skirt being frilled with a deep blue trim. A set of three ebon buttons at the neck completed the look. In practice, the effect was if Arcueid had stepped out from another time entirely.

"I think you look great," he smiled at her. "Is it comfortable!"

"Oh, yes!" she nodded enthusiastically. "The material's really soft, and it's lighter than the sweater, too! I think I want to buy this."

He chuckled lightly. "No problem. The cashier's over there."

Several minutes later, Arcueid was carrying a tightly rolled up bundle as they stepped into a shoe store. Shiki glanced at his watch. They still had about an hour of time left. Plenty of time.

* * *

"Hurry up! We're going to be late for the movie!" Shiki yelled as Arcueid sprinted behind him.

"I couldn't help it, ShikI! All those building blocks were so much fun to play with!" Arcueid called back, not even out of breath.

"I _knew_ I shouldn't have brought her to the toy department," Shiki muttered to himself as they rounded the corner and the ticket booth came into view. Still, it had been a pretty impressive feat to see Arcueid construct a Lego replica of what she claimed was her ancestral home, somewhere deep in the mountains.

Well, now wasn't the time for that. Hurriedly, Shiki collected the tickets he'd reserved, and he and Arcueid made their way into the already-dark theatre, whereupon he slumped onto the seat, panting for breath.

"Hey, Shiki," from beside him, Arcueid lifted the jumbo soda to her lips and took a sip. "I didn't get the chance to ask, but what kind of movie is this?"

"Huh? Oh, it's supposed to be some kind of vampire love story," Shiki rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't actually get a lot of the details, but Arihiko recommended it to me. Said it was the comedy of the year or something."

"A vampire love story?" Arcueid repeated.

"Well, a human falling in love with a vampire and vice-versa, I guess."

"I see…" Arcueid laughed. "It's like the two of us, huh?"

"… Yeah, I guess it is." Shiki nodded as the screen flickered to life in front of them.

* * *

The two of them walked out of the theatre in silence, strolling amongst the groups of people that had walked out around them.

"Shiki?" Arcueid was the first to break the silence.

"… What is it?"

"I… don't think I've ever heard any stories or legends of Dead Apostles that sparkle in the sunlight."

Shiki shook his head. "Me neither."

The two of them were silent for a few more minutes.

Then, "Let's… just go get lunch."

"Yeah," Arcueid nodded quickly. "Let's."

* * *

"Hey, Shiki, what are you looking at?"

"Hm? Oh, just this advert. I swear, this place comes up with a more ridiculous jumbo burger every month."

The two of them were now in a fast food place, near one of the city's central crossroads. At a window seat that afforded them a view of the city's lunchtime rush, Shiki lay the flyer down on the table.

"What are you getting, Shiki?" Arcueid said as he stood from his seat.

"Hm. Probably my usual," he answered. "Cheeseburger, some fries. Really, I just need to get some energy for this afternoon," he paused. "What about you, Arcueid?"

"Hmm…" she glanced down at the advert that Shiki had left on the table, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "I think I'll take this," one finger stabbed down on the picture in the middle, and Shiki's face paled.

"The Double Baconator Supreme? Arcueid, are you sure? I've seen those… _things_. They're as big as your head."

She grinned up at him. "Oh, really? This should be fun, then."

Shiki sighed. "Well, it's your choice," he said. "Just be careful."

"Oh, you worry too much!"

* * *

"Well, where are we going next, Shiki?" Arcueid whirled to face him, an excited expression on her face.

"…" wordlessly, Shiki pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he stared at Arcueid, wondering where in her slim body she could have possibly put that much meat. She had consumed that burger without slowing down at all and didn't appear to be affected in the slightest.

"Shiki?" her question broke through his musings, and he shrugged and smiled.

"The trains," he indicated the station that they were now standing under. "We're going near the city's boundary, so we'll need some transportation."

Buying tickets and getting onto the train was a simple affair. And though the train was initially crowded, the fact that the two of them were heading out of town, away from the business districts, meant that the carriage they were in quickly emptied themselves out, leaving only Shiki, Arcueid, and someone who appeared to be dozing off at the far corner of the carriage.

As the train moved smoothly along the track, Shiki noticed that Arcueid was silent, and had been so ever since they had first entered the carriage. Turning to face her, he realized that she was staring out the window at the city as it whirled past her, her eyes wide with delight as she took in the sight.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Shiki turned and leaned back in his own seat, a smile on his face.

* * *

"People ride that everyday?" Arcueid clapped her hands together with delight as she stepped off the train. "Imagine! Always being able to see the city like that."

"Yeah, most of them don't really pay much attention to the view, though," Shiki admitted as he followed after her. "They've seen it so many times already."

"Yeah, but I bet that with so many different lines, you'll get a huge number of things to see too!" Arcueid laughed gaily before turning to Shiki. "So, what's this next place you're taking me?"

Chuckling, Shiki turned and pointed towards the sign at the exit. Arcueid pulled to a halt.

"A zoo?"

"That's right," he paused. "Before we go in, Arcueid, just… call it a ground rule, okay? Never, _ever_ jump over the fences , no matter how cute some of the animals look. Stick close to me at all times."

Arcueid gave Shiki a dissatisfied look. "What's that about, Shiki? You don't think I have the self-control to not do something like that?"

His laugh was a nervous one. "Just call it a precaution."

* * *

"Arcueid?"

There was no reply.

"Arcueid." The second call was louder, more plaintive.

She never so much as twitched a muscle.

"Arcueid!" as he called her for a third time, he also placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Huh – wha?" she whirled to look Shiki in the eye. "What is it, Shiki?"

"Well, it's – you've been staring at that particular enclosure for a while now. Is anything the matter?"

Arcueid turned away from the jaguar exhibit. "No, nothing much. It just gave me an idea, of sorts."

Shiki blinked, but let it go. "I'm actually a bit surprised the first place you wanted to visit was the big cats enclosure. I'd have thought you'd want something… I don't know, cuter."

She laughed. "I can save that for later, can't I?" she turned to him. "I kinda want to visit the aquarium, though. The last time there was an advertisement for the penguins. They looked really funny."

"Is that so? Well, we're in luck," Shiki fumbled for the brochure he had snagged from the entrance. "There's supposed to be some kind of seaworld show starting in about fifteen minutes."

"Really? Then what are we waiting for, Shiki!" breaking into a run, Arcueid headed down the path, leaving him to catch up with her.

* * *

"It's amazing," Arcueid murmured as she leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees and her chin resting on her balled-up hands.

"What is?" Shiki questioned as he handed her the hotdog he'd bought from the vendor.

"Those _seals_," a delighted smile split Arcueid's face. "Look at how well trained they are! Their swimming is synchronized, and it's almost like they can understand what their handler is saying. I wonder how much time they spent training them to be able to do this."

Shiki shrugged. "I don't know. Personally, I was never really interested in this watching animals perform. I'll admit that the guy really knows what he's doing, though."

Arcueid was silent for a few more moments as she stared at the seal jumping through hoops. "Hey, Shiki?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think they're having fun?"

Shiki paused and looked at the animals splashing in the water. "I think so," he said softly. "I think so."

* * *

The sun had started to set by the time they left the zoo, Arcueid still gushing about all the animals they had met.

"And the _elephants_! Their ears were so thick and rubbery when the keeper let me go up and scratch them, and the way they moved was so funny-"

"And then it patted you on the head with its trunk," Shiki laughed at the memory. "I wished I'd had the foresight to bring a camera with me, Arcueid. The look on your face was priceless."

They stood on the railway platform, waiting for the train that would return them to the heart of the city.

"Did you have any other plans?" Arcueid looked over at him.

"I got us reservations for dinner at a restaurant back in the city," Shiki looked over at her. "That's if you're still willing to spend more time with me, of course."

He felt Arcueid latch onto his arm, holding her own body close to Shiki's. "Always," she said softly.

* * *

Breakfast had been a quiet picnic in the park, with time to bask in the slow rise of the sun and warmth of morning. Lunch had been quick and expedient, a quick boost to keep them going. Dinner would be a lavish affair. That had been the plan.

They were led to a corner booth of the restaurant and allowed to settle down. The lighting and the music was soft, with the polished wood of the table gleaming slightly in the dim light. Sinking back into the cushioned upholstery of the booth, Shiki glanced out the window, where the sun had already set, blanketing the city in a swath of deep blue.

"It's funny," Arcueid mused as she accepted the menu from the waiter. "Breakfast, lunch, and now dinner. All of them were similar, but now they all feel so different. I liked the calmness of the picnic, and the constant rush of the burger place, but this luxury is nice too."

He laughed. "That's us humans, all right. We've so many different ways to take our food," he flipped the drinks menu open. "Do you want anything to drink, Arcueid?"

"Ice water will be fine, thanks."

They made their meal choices, handed the menus back to the waiter, and settled back to wait. Clasping her hands together, Arcueid leaned her head back into the soft cushion of the booth and let out a happy sigh.

"You didn't really eat much… before, did you?" Shiki questioned.

Her eyes still closed, Arcueid shook her head. "No. It wasn't something I ever needed to do, so I didn't. The nutrition helps, I guess, but if I eat, it's mostly for how good it tastes."

"Yeah, a lot of us do that," Shiki shrugged.

"By the way, Shiki?" Arcueid opened her eyes and leaned forward to look at him. "When are you going to introduce me to that sister of yours? I'd really like to meet her."

"Why'd you changed the subject for?" Shiki raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, about Akiha… let's take it one step at a time. I barely got her to accept that I'm going out with you today, and that's good enough for me."

Arcueid blinked. "Well, if you say so."

Shiki paused, pushed the glasses up his nose. If he was going to be honest with himself, he knew that this was a stopgap. If he wanted Arcueid in his life, he'd have to figure out a way to have Akiha accept Arcueid.

_If I wanted Arcueid in my life, huh._ He could remember that cold night in the park, when he'd confessed to her.

"_I love you right now, Arcueid. That is my truth."_

A smile crossed his face.

_That's right. __I still love her._

_That hurdle… is one that I'll have to cross. For her sake._

"Shiki?" Arcueid's voice was probing. "Is anything the matter?"

He raised his gaze to meet hers and smiled as he shook his head. "No. No, nothing's the matter."

And then the food arrived, and the next few minutes were spent in silence but for the clink of forks and knives.

* * *

"Well, that's everything I had planned for today," Shiki blew out a breath of air into the cold night. "Come on Arcueid, I'll walk you back to your apartment."

"Not yet, Shiki."

He turned to look at her. "Not yet?"

She leaned forward and grasped her hand in her own. "I've followed your lead the whole day, Shiki. Now it's my turn to bring us someplace."

A smile and a chuckle. "All right, lead the way, princess."

They made their way through the throngs of people, and somehow Shiki wasn't the least bit surprised to see that Arcueid was heading in the direction of the park.

As he stepped down past the steps that led to the bench and the central clock, he could still see flashes of movement and people walking around. With the end of the vampire murders, the night was starting to become busy again, even in quieter spots like the park.

Finally, he and Arcueid was standing in front of the clock – in front of the place they had promised to meet.

"Hey, Shiki," Arcueid's voice was soft. "Look at the time."

10:10 pm.

"Looks like we were both late for our meeting," he chuckled.

"Seems that way," she smiled back in return before turning and heading towards the nearby bench.

"Arcueid?"

"Shiki… I have something to tell you," taking a breath, Arcueid looked up at the night sky. "You remember what I said to you when we made that promise?"

"Yeah," Shiki nodded. "I don't think I'll ever forget. You told me that it wouldn't have any meaning, but that it would still be really, really fun."

"Yeah, that's what I said," Arcueid nodded happily. "But, I was wrong."

"Wrong?" Shiki paused. "Don't tell me… didn't you have fun, Arcueid?"

"Of course I did!" she smiled. "Today was wonderful, Shiki. But, you know…" she trailed off, gazing up at the crescent moon.

Shiki was silent.

After a long moment, she turned her gaze back to him, an expression of serene calmness on her features.

"It wasn't meaningless at all. Today… today was meaningful."

"Arcueid…"

In the half-lit darkness of the park, Arcueid's smile looked radiant enough to dispel every shadow around them.

"It was meaningful because I was able to spend it with you."

And before Shiki could react, Arcueid had pulled him close, her lips covering his as she drew him into a kiss.

Finally, she pulled a way, contentment flooding her features.

"I love you, Shiki."

He could feel a warmth on his cheeks, and a smile across his own face as he nodded.

"I love you too, Arcueid."

And then, on an unspoken signal, the two of them embraced once more.

* * *

You know, when I think of an ArcxShiki romantic moment, I always envision them hugging more than kissing.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Please review.

Next: Cursed


	14. Cursed

The World of the Moon

* * *

Fourteen: Cursed

Hey. Nice to see you all again. I hope this particular piece is to your liking. A little darker than the others, but they can't all be entirely happy, can they?

Maybe we could consider this Arcueid's Normal End.

Or something.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

"_Shirou. I have cursed you for the first time."_ – Saber Alter, Fate/Stay Night

* * *

… The light in her eyes is fading. Her body warmth is rapidly becoming zero. – I'm going to lose. Am I going to lose her like this?

"Ar… cueid…"

"… Y, yes?"

"… Drink my blood. If you do, you'll get your power back… …!" Not even thinking, I scream that out.

"… …" She doesn't answer.

But slightly, she shakes her head.

" – Why? Don't tell you're still scared? Look, you told me before, right? You asked what if birds or fish had the same intelligence, could I eat them?

"I would. If it meant I would live, I would. Isn't stealing things from others to live a natural law of the world?" That's what she said herself back then.

So why?

Why does she just shake her head with those pitiful eyes?

"I… don't like… talking about 'what ifs'."

A denial.

But that was – my line back then.

But she said before… that she likes playing 'what if'. Because it feels like there's hope.

"Really? I – like what ifs. Even if it's just sugercoating things. I feel… there's always… some hope…" isn't there? But I can't finish.

My throat is just so tight.

I can't… speak properly.

"… That's true… But right now, there's… something else I want more."

With a wavering voice, I ask her what it is.

"Yeah… I want… you to kiss me… Shiki…"

- What?

Such a simple thing? Is that alright?

I –

1. This… is Arcueid's last request.

**2. I just want Arcueid to live.**

* * *

Darkness. The world was dark around her, her failing body no longer able to sense anything beyond her most immediate of surroundings. Shiki's voice was there, by her side, a soft comfort even in her final moments.

"I want… you to kiss me… Shiki…" her whisper was soft. She could still remember. That night he had held her close to him. The joy that had coursed through her body then. A sensation stronger than anything else she had ever known.

Silence now. The only thing she was aware of now was of Shiki's arm against her back, propping her up from the cold floor. She drew in a deep breath, an eternal moment of patient stillness as she waited for Shiki's answer.

And then she felt soft flesh pressing against her lips, easing her mouth open, and it torched a quiet joy welled up in her heart as she forced herself to answer him and return his kiss.

Except.

Something was wrong.

What was against her lips didn't feel like a kiss at all. The skin was rough and calloused and – and –

Cut.

The instant she felt the first drop of coppery liquid touch her tongue, Arcueid's eyes flew open in utter horror. _No! Shiki, __**no**__!_ Trying to exert strength she no longer possessed, Arcueid squirmed feebly in Shiki's arms, trying to twist away from him. But she was too weak, and Shiki's grip on her shoulder tightened.

And then, beyond her feeble struggles, beyond her mounting terror, beyond all rational thought, came the roar from within her, screaming at her to claim the blood that was so freely being offered. With his blood already in her mouth, no rational thought, no refusal on the basis of morality or reason would be enough to overpower the hunger.

_No, please stop… please…_ her treacherous body refused to acknowledge her mental pleas, her teeth now suddenly clamping hard on Shiki's hand and her mouth sucking hard to draw more, ever more of his blood from the wound. She could hear the hiss of pain escape Shiki as she bit down, and there was a soft sound of tearing flesh as she bit through his skin, letting more of the crimson liquid spill out.

Her mind was fading, the part of her that could still think and reason starting to be subsumed by her unending desire, her thirst, her _hunger_.

_More…_ a soft moan, with no rational thought behind it as she continued to drink, her tongue scrabbling roughly against his torn flesh, trying to draw in as much blood as she could. _Tastes… so good. Want more…_

Not enough. The trickle of blood that flowed from the boy's hand wasn't enough. Releasing it, she stared up at his neck, where she knew there were more veins that pumped the precious liquid through his body. Her gaze drifted up to his pale and sweating face for a brief moment.

And then the boy smiled at her.

"Arcueid…" his voice was soft, but at the sound of it, she froze, and a jolt went through her.

Silence, except for the sound of her breathing heavily as she stared at him.

At his face.

At… Shiki's face.

Shiki!

With a scream of horror, Arcueid tore away, leaving Shiki to fall in a shivering heap to the ground. And suddenly, she realized that her strength had returned – she could move again of her own will, her senses were alert again, she had some idea of her surroundings now-

A harsh sensation shot up her spine as she was once again able to expand her consciousness enough to sense the area around her, and she suddenly realized that one she had thought dead was still there.

Still alive.

She whirled, seeing the dark shape at the far end of the corridor, and a hand of ice seized her heart as she realized what had almost happened.

_I – I almost left Shiki to face Roa alone…_ Silently, she clambered to her feet, her gaze never leaving Roa's face.

"My, my…" there was a chuckle coming from the dark-haired man. "So in the end, the Princess would break her taboo to save her own life. And from her lover, too! So tell me, Princess, how does it feel to taste blood again after eight hundred-"

The top half of Roa's head vanished, smashed into countless pieces with a single blow from Arcueid's fist. The rest of his body was propelled into the wall, slamming into it with enough force to cause the building to shudder. Even as it flopped limply to the ground, Arcueid could see blood and flesh already regenerating from the wounds.

"So that's how you survived…" her voice was cold. The full moon, coupled with his boundary field. Her weakened Marble Phantasm simply hadn't been enough, after all. Roa was still alive.

Good.

Just as his eyes reappeared on his face, Arcueid punched him straight through his chest, earning a choked gasp. Not pausing, she whipped her arm around, sending him slamming into another wall.

Whenever she had fought Roa before, it had always been with the focus on killing him as efficiently as possible. If there was a bounded fielded, destroy the land the field was based on first, then kill Roa. Always fatal blows, always short, sharp ends to the fight.

Not tonight. At first her weakened state had made that impossible, and now… now that her power was back, she realized that she didn't want to kill him quickly.

She wanted him to _suffer_.

A wet crunching sound, and she had torn off both his legs below the knee, leaving him to flop to the ground, flailing uselessly.

"This was because of _you!_" a furious howl wrenched from the depths of her soul. "From the very beginning, everything – everything that went wrong was because of you! If you hadn't- if you hadn't…!"

_Then I wouldn't be… then Shiki wouldn't be…_

An inhuman scream as she mutilated Roa's still twitching form still further, her claws tearing through his skin and leaving long smears of blood all across the walls. There appeared to be no end to the fury in her own voice, rising in volume and pitch until it seemed like the entire hallway itself was screaming back, a long unintelligible cry of grief and rage.

Another wild sweep of her arm and Roa's torso flew through the air once more, landing with a wet thud on the floor as once more his body naturally regenerated, regrowing his limbs and his head.

"Ha… hahahaha…" insane laughter flowed from his mouth as it grew back, one arm allowing him to prop himself up as Arcueid approached. "That's right, Princess! Your power! The eternity I have always sought! Kill me again, and we shall continue this hunt again and again, to the end of time itself!"

Then,

"No. It ends tonight," A soft voice, barely heard even in the stillness of the night air, but the knife that was suddenly sticking out of Roa's back could not be mistaken for anything else.

There was a strangled gasp of surprise, and Arcueid looked up to see Shiki, pale as a ghost, tottering away from Roa, barely managing two steps before he collapsed again to the stone floor. As she looked at him, Arcueid felt a creeping despair seep through her body. As she had drunk his blood, so too had her soul corrupted his, twisting him into an unnatural being. The body he had simply wouldn't last much longer.

"Shiki!" barely sparing a glance at the expiring corpse of Roa, who had died without ever fully comprehending what had just happened, Arcueid dashed to his side, arms frantically holding onto his shoulders, trying to get him to open his eyes, to look at her. "Shiki, hang in there! You have to hold on! You have to-"

The sound of booted footsteps at the far end of the hallway suddenly came to a halt, and Arcueid whipped around to catch sight of Ciel, standing silently, the Seventh Holy Scripture clutched in her hands, and her eyes wide with shock as she took in the scene before her.

"You!" raged flared up within Arcueid again, and before she knew it she had crossed the distance between them to seize hold of the Executor's shoulders. Ciel made no move to defend herself, even though both knew it would have been a futile gesture anyway. "Where were you earlier? I thought you wanted to kill Roa! Why didn't you come in when I had been killed! _Why didn't you protect Shiki?_ Because you weren't there, he had to force me to drink his blood to fight Roa! Where were you, Ciel? Where were you _when Shiki needed you?_"

"Arcueid," Ciel's expression was steady and unflincing as he blue eyes gazed into Arcueid's crimson ones. "I do not know what happened here, but we both know that if Tohno-kun gave his blood to you, it was not so that you could fight Roa."

Unable to make any sort of response, Arcueid merely tightened her grip on Ciel's shoulders as she felt hot tears spilling from her eyes.

"You should hurry," Ciel said again, no inflection whatsoever in her voice. "If you do not stabilize Tohno-kun soon, he will end up becoming little more than a Dead."

The words snapped Arcueid out of her stupor, and she whirled to look at Shiki, still shivering on the floor, a grey pall starting to come over her skin.

"Shiki!" she cried again as she hurried to his side. _How could I have been so stupid? Of course Shiki would need my help!_ Leaning over his body, she pricked her hand with her own claws, and held the wound over his open mouth.

One drop, two drops, three drops. Just three drops of blood, containing the immense vitality and will of her, mightiest of the True Ancestors. It would be more than enough to ensure that whatever else happened, Shiki would not become one of the mindless Dead.

But of course, to do so would also consign an entirely different curse on Shiki.

Her task completed, Arcueid sat back, feeling a profound sense of emptiness wash over her. She had come here on her own because she hadn't wanted – because she had _sworn_ that she would not drag Shiki into danger any longer. But he had come after regardless, and now he was…

She felt a hand on her shoulder. Ciel's hand.

"We should take Tohno-kun back to the mansion," her voice was soft.

"What for?" Arcueid's voice, however, carried darts of venom. "Don't you want to kill Shiki now? He's going to become a Dead Apostle soon, you know?" a broken laugh resounded through the empty walls.

Ciel simply made no reply, and after a long moment, Arcueid slumped forward, her body wracked with sobs that, try as she might, she simply could not suppress.

* * *

"Let GO of me!" Akiha raged, her crimson hair whipping about her in a frenzy as she struggled futilely against Ciel holding her back from approaching Shiki's room. "I'm going to kill her! I'm going to kill that witch!"

Silently, Ciel decided that she should be thankful that Akiha hadn't gotten so berserk that she was actually using her plundering technique within the mansion. But she had riled her demon blood regardless, and the longer this went on the harder it would be to calm her down after the fact.

"Akiha-san," Ciel spoke, speaking with an authority in her voice that she did not feel. "Calm down."

"Calm down? Calm _down_!" Akiha shrieked. "She turned Nii-san into a vampire! She's the reason Nii-san is now in bed-"

"And she's the best chance you have at ensuring Tohno-kun lives to see the next sunri- the next day," Ciel snapped. "Akiha-san, that Tohno-kun is the way he is now is indeed unfortunate, but Arcueid is not the one you should be blaming. Right now she is doing literally everything she can to ensure that his condition does not degenerate any further. And while you have every right to demand to speak to her, at least _wait_ until Tohno-kun is more stable."

That seemed to have calmed her somewhat, Ciel thought. No, it seemed more like all the fight was draining out of her, to be replaced by a dull weariness. As she slumped, her hair fading back into the usual black, Kohaku came to her side.

"Come on, Akiha-sama, let's get you to the sitting room. A cup of tea will do you good." Silently, Akiha allowed herself to be led away by Kohaku, leaving Ciel standing alone in the empty hallway.

Well, almost alone. The soft pad of footsteps signified the approach of the other maid of the Tohno Mansion, as she came up beside Ciel.

Neither of them said anything as they simply stood there in the gloom, staring at the room where Arcueid was slowly preparing the ritual to ensure that Shiki would indeed make the transition to a Dead Apostle.

It was all they could do now.

* * *

"Tell me everything you know," Akiha's voice was as cold as the grave.

Silently accepting her own cup of tea with a nod of thanks, Ciel turned her attention back to Akiha. "While fighting Roa, Arcueid apparently suffered a defeat and was on the verge of death when Tohno-kun decided to give her his blood. That would allow her to live, and give her sufficient strength to defeat Roa as well. But, of course, that meant that Tohno-kun's soul would be corrupted by such close contact with a True Ancestor's. The only way he could survive – for a given definition of survive, anyway – was if Arcueid shared some of her own blood in turn, thus merging their two souls and their wills. Even then, preparing him to properly become a vampire would require an extended process that Arcueid is performing right now."

A silence in the room. Then Akiha slammed her teacup down on the table.

"I asked you to tell me _everything_ you know," her eyes bored into Ciel's.

The Burial Agent closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. "I say 'merging' their two souls… but the plain fact is that the soul of a True Ancestor is so much more radiant and powerful than that of a human's. By giving Tohno-kun her blood… he will become her servant, unable to disobey any command of hers for as long they are both alive."

A sharp intake of breath from Kohaku, but other than that, a complete silence that fell over the entire room. At the table, Akiha leaned forward, her head hidden from view, her shoulders trembling. Abruptly, she stood, practically dashing for the doorway of the sitting room. Even then, Ciel's sharp ears could catch the beginnings of a sob in her throat as she fled the room.

As the night wore on, Ciel simply sat on the couch, staring at the table in front of her.

* * *

Shiki awoke suddenly to the by-now familiar sight of the room in the mansion; one that was, as usual, covered with streaking back lines. Twisting his head slightly, he saw his glasses sitting on the table beside him and instinctively reached out a hand to grab it.

Or at least, he tried to. His body from the neck down wouldn't move at all.

"Don't worry, you can't move right now," a gentle melodious voice sounded next to him, and a tiny burst of joy awoke in his heart. If this was true, then no matter what else, he had succeeded in saving-

"Ar… cueid…" he whispered softly. An instant later, her face appeared in his field of vision, smiling down at him.

"Yes," she said softly. "It's me, Shiki."

"You're… alive…" he whispered, before closing his eyes. "I'm glad… I'm glad."

There was a silence from Arcueid, and Shiki knew.

"Arcueid."

"Yes, Shiki?"

"I'm… a vampire now, aren't I?"

A pause. "You will be once I've finished taking care of you," an odd catch in her voice. "So that's why you can't move. I have to be careful for the next few steps."

Shiki let out a long breath as he opened his eyes to stare at ceiling. _I knew that this would happen when I made my choice. I don't regret anything._

"Hey, Arcueid?"

"Yes?"

"Do you hate me?"

"Wha -? How could you even ask something like that?"

"I... made you drink my blood. You said you never wanted to..."

There was a silence.

"Shiki... if anything, you're the one who should hate me. After all this, I've turned you into a vampire. I've cursed you, Shiki. Shouldn't you hate me for that?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Arcueid," shifting his gaze, he stared deep into her eyes. "I could never hate you."

"Yeah," Arcueid nodded once. "Me neither. So let's stop worrying about something like that, okay?"

Shiki nodded, accepted it. "How long will this take?

"… I don't want to rush anything. So… three days, I think," her voice was hesitant.

"So… you'll be here with me for that?" that was what he wanted. For Arcueid to be at his side.

"Of course I will, Shiki," her voice was soft, and he could feel her soft fingers grasping his hand. "Of course I will."

* * *

The next three days passed in a blur to Shiki, lying in his bed, being tended to by Arcueid. Days and nights no longer had any meaning – one of the first things Arcueid had gotten Hisui to do was to drape heavy curtains all over the windows, such that the only thing that could let him tell time any more was the clock on his bedside table.

Ciel paid him a visit once or twice, but never said much, merely looking at him with expression that Shiki could not read. Arcueid, for her part, appeared to studiously ignore Ciel.

Hisui and Kohaku made constant courtesy calls, usually to check if Shiki was comfortable or needed anything.

Akiha, though, had never appeared.

And finally, one evening, Arcueid brushed back a strand of hair from Shiki's face and smiled down at him. "That's that, Shiki. You're a Dead Apostle now."

"Hooray," he said in a complete deadpan.

"You can sit up now," Arcueid said softly as she turned away, and Shiki did so. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel, but now that he concentrated, he felt… lighter. Stronger.

"Your body has become something other than a human," Arcueid continued her explanation. "For a while you're going to have to be careful whenever you touch or hold something. The amount of strength you use is far greater than before, so it might end up with you breaking things by accident otherwise. And of course, going out into sunlight will severely harm you. It won't kill you outright," she smiled briefly at him. "Because you were created from my blood, you're naturally more powerful than most Dead Apostles already, but you'll feel extremely weak under the sun. So don't do it."

"I see," Shiki said as he stared down at his body. Going to school would be right out, then. So much of his life was going to change from now on.

"For now, though, get some rest," Arcueid said as she gently pushed him back into the pillow. Her tiny remark, spoken like a command, triggered something in his brain, and he automatically sank down into the bed, feeling sleep rush up to claim him again.

Before that, though…

"Arcueid?" he whispered.

"What is it, Shiki?"

"Will you be here when I wake up again?" he yawned as he spoke, the darkness closing on him fast.

There was a pause.

"Of course I will, Shiki. Of course I will."

* * *

Arcueid was gone when Shiki woke up. Pain lanced through his heart as he stumbled out into the living room to see Akiha sitting on the couch, her eyes dull as she stared towards the doorway that Arcueid had left from. Uttering a curse, Shiki threw open the door, and charged out into the evening sun.

Even the faded golden rays of the setting sun were enough to torment his skin as he charged through the streets at speeds far surpassing that of any human, but steeling himself, he ignored it. In his heart, in his blood, he could feel it – a connection to Arcueid.

She was still in the city, though for how much longer he didn't know.

Finally, he rounded the corner, descending the steps to the park, until he ended up at their meeting spot, and his gaze roamed about frantically until he caught sight of a white figure sitting on the swing, her head bowed in thought.

"Arcueid!"

* * *

At the sound of his voice, she winced. She knew she should have been long gone by now, but… why then had she come here to park? For one last lingering memory?

"I really am a sentimental fool," she whispered to herself.

"Arcueid…" Shiki called again as he approached her. Shaking her head, Arcueid stood and turned to face him.

"You were gone when I woke up," his voice was soft. "You promised you'd be there, but you weren't."

She closed her eyes, bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Shiki. But I… can't stay any longer."

"What?" his eyes pleaded with her. "Why not?"

"Because I drank your blood."

Shiki did not reply.

"I think Ciel might have told you this already, but every time a True Ancestor drinks blood, it just makes the urge grow stronger. I managed to sate the hunger for a few days from what I drank from you," _just three days. That was the timeframe I knew I had remaining._ "But that's at an end. After this, my bloodlust will come back again, stronger than ever."

"So then…"

"I lied to everyone," a soft, sad laugh from Arcueid. "You could have been stabilized after the first night. But I knew that once I told them you were okay, Akiha wouldn't have let me stay beside you any longer," she bowed her head. "Ciel knew the truth, of course. She probably knows as much as I do about vampires. But she kept quiet about it. I wonder why."

Shiki stood staring at her.

"These past three days… that was the very last of the time I could spend with you, Shiki. Being by your side, making small talk with you, just being together," she smiled at him. "That really made me happy."

"Then… then…" Shiki shook his head. "Everything I did… I…"

"Shiki?"

She could see him clenching his fists. "Was everything for nothing then? After this…" he swallowed. "Arcueid... I…"

"I know. I wanted to be with you more too," she nodded once. "But, from the very beginning, this was something that couldn't be changed."

An eternal silence, finally broken when Arcueid turned on her heel.

"You'll be okay, Shiki. Akiha has agreed to use her connections to buy bloodbags for you to feed on. And Ciel will cover up your existence from the Church. So you needn't worry. So, Shiki…" she paused, not wanting to say the words that would somehow make the final parting so much more real.

"Goodbye," she whispered.

"Arcueid, wait," his voice, terribly calm, gave her pause, and she turned to him.

"W- what?"

"What will you be doing after this?"

"I'll be returning to my castle, and I'll go to sleep," Arcueid's gaze shifted to the setting sun. "That is the fate of every True Ancestor that can no longer resist the urge for blood. But that doesn't matter to you, Shiki."

"Yes, it does matter," he said as he took another step towards her. "Arcueid… I know I can't ask you to stay with me here. That's not fair for either of us. But…"

They stood there for a long moment, the both of them simply looking at each other. Then Shiki drew in a deep breath.

"Let me come and sleep with you," he said softly.

* * *

Somewhere, in a land where humans are not to tread – there is a castle.

It is a vast, sprawling bastion, and yet it is silent, with neither life nor movement within its great halls.

Within the castle there is a basement, and within that basement there is a throne.

And upon that throne is a figure in white, her eyes closed in eternal sleep, her body bound by countless chains.

And on the floor, back resting against the throne, there is another being, clothed in black. One hand of his reaches up to grasp that of the Princess' even in rest.

A sight so lonely and forlorn as to break your heart as you watch them.

And yet.

If you look closely.

Upon both their faces lie gentle smiles.

Within the depths of their endless slumber, their dream together continues forever.

* * *

**Omake:**

* * *

So for this particular chapter there were two different ways I could have ended it. After some internal debate I'd decided to go with the aforementioned one, but I also decided to post the alternate ending here for you to read if you'd like.

* * *

Arcueid was gone when Shiki woke up. Pain lanced through his heart as he stumbled out into the living room to see Akiha sitting on the couch, her eyes dull as she stared towards the doorway that Arcueid had left from. Uttering a curse, Shiki threw open the door, and charged out into the evening sun.

Even the faded golden rays of the setting sun were enough to torment his skin as he charged through the streets at speeds far surpassing that of any human, but steeling himself, he ignored it. In his heart, in his blood, he could feel it – a connection to Arcueid.

She was still in the city, though for how much longer he didn't know.

Finally, he rounded the corner, descending the steps to the park, until he ended up at their meeting spot, and his gaze roamed about frantically until he caught sight of a white figure sitting on the swing, her head bowed in thought.

"Arcueid!"

* * *

At the sound of his voice, she winced. She knew she should have been long gone by now, but… why then had she come here to park? For one last lingering memory?

"I really am a sentimental fool," she whispered to herself.

"Arcueid…" Shiki called again as he approached her. Shaking her head, Arcueid stood and turned to face him.

"You were gone when I woke up," his voice was soft. "You promised you'd be there, but you weren't."

She closed her eyes, bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Shiki. But I… can't stay any longer."

"What?" his eyes pleaded with her. "Why not?"

"Because I've drank your blood."

Shiki did not reply.

"I think Ciel might have told you this already, but every time a True Ancestor drinks blood, it just makes the urge grow stronger. I managed to sate the hunger for a few days from what I drank from you," _just three days. That was the timeframe I knew I had remaining._ "But that's at an end. After this, my bloodlust will come back again, stronger than ever."

Shiki was quiet.

"I lied to everyone," a soft, sad laugh from Arcueid as she continued. "You could have been stabilized after the first night. But I knew that once I told them you were okay, Akiha wouldn't have let me stay beside you any longer," she bowed her head. "Ciel knew the truth, of course. She probably knows as much as I do about vampires. But she kept quiet about it. I wonder why."

Shiki stood staring at her.

"These past three days… that was the very last of the time I could spend with you, Shiki. Being by your side, making small talk with you, just being together," she smiled at him. "That really made me happy."

"… Did it?" Shiki's voice was soft.

"Of course it did," her smile didn't fade. "But that… everything is at an end now."

"It…" he swallowed. "It doesn't have to be."

"Huh?"

"Ciel-senpai… that night, in the park, she told me," he looked up at Arcueid. "The original Dead Apostles… they were created to be a food source for the True Ancestors who could not resist their bloodlust anymore, at least until they rebelled ."

"Yes, that's right…" Arcueid swallowed and looked away. "But Shiki, you can't possibly be saying that…"

"I am," one hand reached out to her. "Arcueid… if it will let you stay… take my blood. I offered it to you once, so… I'm doing it again."

She shook her head. "No, Shiki. I… I won't-"

"Why not?" he demanded. "Arcueid, I could understand it before if you didn't want to turn me, but I'm already a Dead Apostle! What more could you drinking my blood possibly do to me?"

He was angry. Arcueid could see it written all over his-

No, she suddenly realized.

Shiki wasn't angry.

Shiki was afraid.

Afraid that he would lose her again.

She stared down at the ground. "Shiki, what do you think would happen to a Dead Apostle who has to constantly give his blood up to a True Ancestor? Your current immortality is imperfect in the first place, and you'll have to drink blood to survive. If I keep drinking your blood, your body will just degenerate even faster," she shook her head. "I won't do it. I won't drain the life of someone else." _Especially not when it's someone I care for so much._

A silence fell upon the two of them, until Shiki spoke up again.

"Then let me drink your blood instead."

"…What?" Arcueid raised her eyes to meet his.

"Arcueid… do you realize that I haven't eaten anything this past three days? Even now I'm still full of energy," his gaze was steady. "It was because of your blood. Just those three drops were enough to provide me enough energy to keep going all this time.

"You're right in saying that my body will naturally degenerate if it keeps getting its blood sucked, but in return I'll only need a little bit from you to preserve myself, won't I? Your blood – the blood of a True Ancestor – it's incredibly potent, so… so…" he trailed off, staring at her. "Arcueid… please… just don't leave me. Not again," his last words were a soft whisper.

Arcueid swallowed. Of course, feeding Shiki her own blood would help keep him stable for an extremely long time, and… with him already having drunk her blood, it wasn't like he would fall any further. The idea hadn't occurred to her before because… well, because no True Ancestor before her would ever have deigned to offer their own blood on behalf of a Dead Apostle.

But, for Shiki's sake… a strange feeling was welling up inside her… she wasn't sure what it was.

Hope, perhaps?

"Shiki…" she whispered. "Even if… even if that works… that's still only a stopgap, you know? In a few years… a decade at most, by then my bloodlust will be too strong for a single person to sate it, no matter how much you give me."

"I don't care," he replied, taking a step closer her. "Even if it's just for a few years… even if it's just for another day… if there's a way to spend more time with you, Arcueid. I'll take it."

"Shiki…" he was standing right in front of her now, and she felt his arms coming up around her. She didn't resists, didn't pull away, merely leaned in close. "Shiki… you've… started talking a lot more about 'ifs' lately, haven't you?"

"Have I?" Shiki's chuckled once. "I kind of like 'ifs'. It… kind of makes you feel like no matter what, there's still hope somehow, doesn't it?"

"Yes…" Arcueid murmured as she hugged Shiki tight. "Yes, it does."

As the shadows lengthened and night fell, the two of them simply stood there in their embrace, lost together in an moment that appeared to have no end.

* * *

And well, there's that. I decided against using this in the end, but what do you think?

Well, that's done with. I hope all of you reading enjoy this.

Thanks for reading. I would appreciate it if you reviewed.

Next: Maid to Order


	15. Maid to Order

The World of the Moon

* * *

Fifteen: Maid to Order

'Inspired' by the scene in Kagetsu Tohya where Arcueid ambushes Hisui and steals her maid costume. It was random oneshot silliness in there, and now it gets to be _extended_ random oneshot silliness here!

I hope you enjoy this piece.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Shiki let out a sigh as he stepped through the doorway of the Tohno Mansion, loosening the collar on his school uniform as he did so. The walk back home had been more draining than usual, and he was glad to have the chance to relax back in the comfort of his own home.

Which wasn't to say the welcoming committee wasn't a pleasant bonus.

"Welcome home, Shiki-sama!" a chorus of female voices sounded in the living room, and Shiki smiled as the maids of the mansion arrayed themselves before him.

"Please allow me to take your bag, Shiki-sama," Hisui bowed slightly and accepted the schoolbag from Shiki as he handed it to her.

"Shall you want your afternoon snack in the sitting room or your bedroom, Shiki-sama?" Kohaku smiled warmly as she wiped her hands on her apron, evidently having just come from the kitchen in order to welcome him home.

"It is good to see you well, Shiki-sama," Ciel bowed reverently. "Shall I help you change you out of your uniform into something more comfortable?"

"Hello, Shiki-sama!" Arcueid called out gaily. "Do you want a back massage?"

Heading into the sitting room, Shiki sunk back onto his easy chair and closed his eyes, luxuriating in the quiet bliss of having so many devoted servants.

He was interrupted by the sound of clinking cutlery as Hisui entered the room, bearing a tray with a teapot and a teacup on it.

"Your tea, Shiki-sama," Hisui bowed reverently again, the tray never wavering at all. "Do you want your usual of milk and no sugar?"

"Yes, thank you," Shiki nodded and waited as Hisui dutifully poured out his tea. At the same time, he could feel Ciel removing his shoes.

"Ah, Ciel?"

"You must be tired after such a long, hard day, Shiki-sama," Ciel smiled up at him . "Just lie back and let me take care of everything." And so saying, she began to massage his feet.

Taking a sip from his teacup, Shiki leaned back into his chair, closed his eyes, and smiled.

This was the life.

It was about an hour later that Shiki stood from the chair, stretching and yawning as he prepared to return to his room.

"Ah, Shiki-sama!" Kohaku leaned her head out of the doorway of the kitchen as he walked through the sitting room. "Just the person I wanted to see! I wanted your opinion on what I should make for your dinner – I was thinking sautéed salmon along with a Mediterranean salad, and a minestrone soup. Does that sound good?"

Shiki chuckled. "Of course it does, Kohaku, but really, preparing such lavish dishes for me every single day? That's a bit much, isn't it?"

"Of course not, Shiki-sama!" Kohaku actually looked slightly offended. "Only the very best for our Master!"

Shiki acquiesced with a nod and headed up to his own room, opening the door to find Arcueid with a feather duster in hand dusting the corners of his desk. At the sound of the door opening, she glanced up, an expression of surprise crossing her features before it gave way to a mischievous smile.

"Ah, welcome, Shiki-sama," she gave a quick curtsy, lifting the hem of her maid's skirt with one hand as she swept her other out to indicate to the room. "I've already changed the sheets on your bed, aired out the room, and I've changed the curtains since the old ones were getting a little dusty. I trust this is to your liking?"

"Of course it is," Shiki assured her with a wide smile. "I really appreciate what everyone's done for me."

"Everyone? Then, does Shiki-sama enjoy having people like us for his maids?"

"Of course I do! What man wouldn't enjoy such attention and concern?" Shiki's gaze became wistful. "Hisui, Kohaku, Ciel… I'm really glad for all of them."

"I see…" Arcueid nodded once.

Shiki chuckled and took a step closer to her. "Are you jealous, Arc? I may like them, but you know you're still my favourite. Always."

At this, Arcueid blushed. "Shiki-sama…" she whispered just before Shiki placed one hand at the back of her head and pulled her in closer for a kiss, his lips pressing hard against hers.

After a long moment, they broke away, panting, staring deep into each other's eyes as Shiki's hands slowly reached down to Arcueid's back to grasp the ribbon that secured her apron. With a quick jerk of his hands, the white cloth fell away and –

Shiki woke up.

Staring stupidly at the ceiling for several long seconds, he finally reached one arm over to cover his eyes with a long sigh.

_Of all the days to wake up early, today._

The image of Arcueid in her maid outfit, trembling in his arms as he held her close, flashed through his mind, and he found his breath catching in his throat.

Ah well, he could just lie in bed, until he'd… calmed down a little…

"Arcueid in a maid's uniform…" he murmured softly. "That really was cute."

"Ehehehe. So _that's_ the sort of fantasies you have about me, Shiki?" the cheerful voice sounded next to his ear.

Shiki was not aware of him having actually jumped out of the bed until he felt the far wall of the room at his back. As the back of his head encountered the unyielding brick of his wall with a resounding thud, his vision swam for a brief moment.

When it finally returned, he could see Arcueid sitting on his bed, a sleepy smile on her face.

"Morning, Shiki!"

"Ar – Ar – Arcueid!" Shiki sputtered. "Wh- fantas – you were in my dream?"

"Uh-huh!" she nodded as she suppressed a yawn. "I didn't actually take part in it, but I was watching the whole thing," her smile brightened. "I had no idea you liked maid uniforms so much, Shiki!"

"Th –that's… that is…" Shiki sputtered.

"And then you said you liked it when everyone served and devoted themselves to you," Arcueid tapped her chin thoughtfully. "That was interesting, too."

"N – NO!" Shiki yelled. "Arc, listen! Listen! It – itititit – all that was just a dream! All right? None of that was true at all!"

"None of that?" Arcueid's eyes widened as she repeated the line softly.

"That – that's right…" Shiki was, at long last, starting to calm down somewhat. "The entire dream was absolutely, positively, one hundred percent false."

"Then…" Arcueid's expression was crushed. "Does that mean I'm not your favourite after all?"

_Erk._ "N – no! No…" Shiki took in another deep breath. "That part was true, Arcueid. Well, you're not my _favourite_ because you're the only one there is, okay? You're the only one I love."

"Oh. Okay!" in an instant, Arcueid was all beaming smiles and cheerfulness again. "You're the only one for me too, Shiki!"

"Be – besides," Shiki shakily pulled himself to his feet as he mentally filed Arcueid's remark away to enjoy later. "That was just a random dream. Nothing to do with anything, and it doesn't have any real meaning in the end."

"Really?" Arcueid raised an eyebrow. "But Len told me you specifically asked for a dream about me dressing up as a maid."

Shiki felt his neck grow hot as he shot a look of outrage at his familiar, who was just now starting to stir from her position on the bed.

"L – Len!" he snapped. "I _told_ you that you had to keep it private!" and anything further was interrupted by a chuckle from Arcueid.

"Shiki, you may be Len's master _now_, but I took care of her for the past… oh, couple of hundred years of so," her smile was gentle. "I have just as much clout with Len as you do, you know," and as she spoke, she reached over and scratched the familiar's ears.

Just then, the door to the room swung open, and Hisui stepped inside.

"Shiki-sama, it is time to-" she paused as she took in the scene – Shiki on the floor, pale as a ghost, Arcueid sitting on the bedside smiling innocently, and Len, who in her customary manner simply padded past Hisui and down to the lower landing where she knew there would be a saucer of milk waiting for her.

"I see you have risen already," for someone as devoted to maidhood as Hisui, directly criticizing Shiki would have been out of the question unless he'd specifically requested it, and sometimes not even then. Nevertheless the look in her eyes made her opinion of the current situation clear. "I shall inform Nee-san that you will be down for breakfast soon then," she turned to Arcueid. "Shall I set the table for you as well, Arcueid-sama?"

"Oh, no need!" Arcueid shook her head cheerfully. "I was just leaving. Bye, Shiki! Bye, Hisui!" and with that, she jumped out the window in a blur of motion.

There was a silence in the room for a long moment. And then Hisui turned to Shiki.

"Shiki-sama?"

Somehow her voice didn't have quite the same ring to it as it had been in the dream, Shiki reflected ruefully. Out loud, he merely nodded. "Yes, tell Kohaku I'll be down as soon as I've had a chance to wash up."

* * *

A brief bout with embarrassment aside, that incident was quickly forgotten and put out of Shiki's mind as he progressed through his normal school day.

Someone else, however, had most certainly _not_ forgotten the dream and was now pondering it very intently indeed.

Standing on the rooftop of a building and staring down at the mass of humanity moving below her, Arcueid let her thoughts flow free.

_A maid, huh…_

_I wonder what it is about those outfits that Shiki seems to like._

Silently, Arcueid replayed her memory of Shiki's dream that Len had allowed her to intrude upon (though not without some coercion by means of several freshly caught fish). Shiki's eyes had lingered on the uniforms, true, but the part he'd appeared to _really_ enjoy was when he had been relaxing on the couch and the others had swarmed around to shower him with attention.

On that note, Arcueid could still feel a slight pang at the fact that she hadn't really been there to serve Shiki along with the other maids. She supposed Len had set it up (even if only subconsciously) so that their time later was meant to be alone with each other and that would _really_ have been fun to watch.

At least it would have been if Shiki hadn't woken up by the point.

Stretching and smiling as she felt the wind billowing around her, Arcueid set off down to the next roof with a mighty leap. Well, the dream was over, but there was more than way to see to it that Shiki could get proper care and service from her in reality.

This was definitely going to be fun.

* * *

"No," Akiha stated flatly without lifting her head up from the book she was reading.

"But why not, Little Sister?" Arcueid frowned as she stared at her. "Surely you could use the help!"

"I assure you that Kohaku and Hisui do just fine keeping the mansion running by themselves," Akiha said. "Not to mention that when it comes down to it, I wouldn't trust you with the proper handling of a broom closet, nevermind looking after an entire mansion. I don't know where you get these fanciful ideas from, but this one is _not_ getting off the ground."

Folding her arms, Arcueid stared at Little Sister with a dissatisfied expression on her face. Why did she always have to be so _difficult_? She'd thought that they'd turned a corner on their relationship when Little Sister had invited her to dinner the other day, but since then all their meetings afterwards had been as frosty as ever.

Well, she supposed feeding her a cake made of rarefied hatred and vileness might not have been the best of ways to improve their relationship, but Kohaku, Hisui and Shiki had all gotten over it by now.

The princess let out a long sigh. Well, she'd half-anticipated this response from Little Sister, and, in defiance to her usual laissez-faire method of doing things, she had come prepared.

"Well, all right," she sighed. "But you don't mind me doing a bit of reading here in your sitting room, do you?"

"Knock yourself out, Arcueid-san." The sarcasm in Akiha's voice was thick.

As Arcueid settled back in her chair and pulled out a red notebook with a floral pattern from somewhere or other, Akiha returned to her own romance… novel…

A… red notebook with a floral pattern?

Akiha's head shot up as she stared in consternation at the notebook. Yes, that was it… there could be absolutely no mistake.

"Arcueid-san…" Akiha's voice was low as she fought to keep it from trembling. "Just… where did you get that notebook from?"

"Hm? Oh, I found it lying around the mansion," Arcueid replied carelessly. "It's pretty interesting, too, what with how the girl in these stories really, really wants to-"

_Fwoosh._

With a brief surge of light and heat, the book crumbled away into ashes in Arcueid's hands, leaving the vampire princess to blink and stare at the sooty stains on her hands.

"And that," Akiha muttered. "Is the end of that."

"Aw," Arcueid muttered. "I liked that book more than the other ones."

She froze. "Other ones?" She managed, her voice barely more than a squeak.

"Yeah," Arcueid nodded enthusiastically. "The other four of them. They're not quite as good, but…"

"Give them back to me! Right this instant!" Akiha roared as she sprang to her feet. In response, Arcueid merely blinked.

"Oh, so they were yours, Little Sister? I never took you for a budding novelist, to be honest, but I suppose that what they say about hidden depths is true, huh?"

"Shut up and give them back before I…" Akiha's hair was starting to flare around her like a crimson corona.

"Wow, your hair _and_ your face are turning red at the same time! Is this some new power, Little Sister?"

The rational part of Akiha's mind tapped her on the back of her head and began whispering things to her. Things that she didn't particularly want to hear.

First and foremost, getting into a fight with Arcueid into the mansion would be a bad idea. Not only was the damned vampire an order of magnitude more powerful than her, but even if Arcueid decided to hold back for Nii-san's sake, the two of them getting into a fight would, regardless of the result, cause Nii-san to start questioning why the thin veneer of civility he'd worked so hard to build up between Akiha and Arcueid had collapsed so suddenly, which would lead to him possibly discovering the… the…

No. That, no matter what else, absolutely could not happen.

Her hair fizzled back to black and dropped limply to Akiha's sides again as she took in a deep breath.

"Name your price," she muttered through clenched teeth.

"Huh?"

"I said name your price! What will it take for you to return me those notebooks, you stupid, bloodsucking… _floozy_!" Akiha spat out.

Arcueid smiled, a smile so guileless and innocent that the last time Akiha had seen a smile of that nature was on Kohaku shortly before she'd initiated that chain of events that had resulted in her growing two stories tall and-

_No, stop thinking about things in the past that stress you out._ Akiha thought to herself. There were more than enough things in the present to be stressed out over.

"Well, let's see. Since these notebooks seem so important to you, how about one week for one notebook?"

"One – one week?"

"Uh-huh!" Arcueid nodded enthusiastically. "Working as a maid in your mansion, Little Sister! That way I'll be able to get a month of service here, won't I?"

Akiha's eyebrow twitched. Having that damned vampire in _her_ home twenty-four seven for one month would be, simply put, torture on a scale she had rarely been subject to. But, for the sake of those notebooks…

Yes, for their sake…

"Deal," she grinded out. "And I hope you understand that this means you'll be expected to conform to _all_ of the rules governing the maids of this household, Arcueid-san. Are we clear on this?"

"Of course!" another bubbly laugh. "Well, I'd better go get myself ready then, Little Sister! I'll report in later today!"

And with that, Arcueid left the room, a definite skip in her step, leaving Akiha to slump back into her chair and to massage an aching forehead.

After a moment's hesitation, she rang for Kohaku. She could really, _really_ do with a nice cup of tea right about now.

* * *

"So did it work, Arcueid-san?" Kohaku asked cheerfully as she puttered about the kitchen, putting the ingredients for Akiha's brew together.

"Uh-huh!" Arcueid nodded enthusiastically. "Those notebooks you provided me with really did the trick! I wonder why she was so upset about them, though…"

Hiding a smile, Kohaku shrugged. "Who knows? The point is that it worked, isn't it? I'll be looking forward to working with you, even if it's only for a month."

"Me too!" Arcueid laughed and held out a plastic bag. "By the way, I nearly forgot! Here, as thanks for helping me out."

"My my, what's this?" Kohaku turned to accept the bag from Arcueid.

"Oh, I got you some seaweed from the forest of Einnashe! It's supposed to be really delicious! Word of advice, though, don't cook too much of it at once."

Kohaku smiled and nodded. "Got it! And now, if you'll excuse me, I really should be delivering this to Akiha-sama…"

Arcueid waved to Kohaku as the maid left the kitchen, and then turned to her own devices. First things first, she would need a maid uniform…

* * *

As he stepped through the doors of the Tohno Mansion, Shiki caught sight of Hisui in her customary position, ready to take his bag and bring it to his room. He'd gotten used to this by now, although if questioned about it he'd insist that it wasn't so much anything _he_ wanted so much as Hisui insisting that it was the duty of a maid to do so. Well, if it made her feel any better, he was willing to let her wait for him and take his bag.

Hisui bowed as soon as she realized that he was there, and then started to reach out to take Shiki's bag, only to be interrupted by a loud shout.

"Welcome home, Shiki-sama!" Jumping down from the second-story landing, Arcueid landed in front of Shiki with a catlike grace, transforming the momentum of the jump into a particularly enthusiastic curtsy. "Shall I take your bag for you?"

In the amount of time it had taken for Shiki to process that Arcueid was in the mansion, wearing a uniform extremely similar to Hisui's, and curtsying to him, his brain proceeded to shut down all but the most basic of motor functions, and for several long seconds he stood there gaping like a fish as he stared at his girlfriend. Hisui appeared similarly stunned, still frozen in her pose of reaching out to take Shiki's bag.

"Ar – Arcueid?" Shiki finally managed. "What are you…?"

"Oh, you mean this?" Arcueid did a quick twirl, the result being the long skirt of her uniform fluttering up around her. "I'm a maid in the mansion now, Shiki-sama! I just started today!"

"You're… a maid…" Shiki repeated slowly, his mind slowly grinding into gear as he processed what Arcueid was telling him.

"Well, for a month, at least!" Arcueid laughed again. "Ahem! Once again, Shiki-sama, shall I take your bag for you?"

Sneaking a quick glance at Hisui, who appeared as hopelessly confused as he was, Shiki made a quick decision to get Arcueid into a more private location so he could properly figure out just what exactly was going on.

"All right, let's go to my room," he mumbled as he felt Arcueid gently prying his bookbag from his hands. With a smile and nod, Arcueid turned on her heel, heading up the stairs as Shiki followed her numbly.

All alone in the foyer, Hisui stood stock still for several seconds.

"What… just happened?" she finally questioned of nobody in particular.

Kohaku padded into the room. "Ah, Hisui-chan! I should have known you would be in the foyer at this time. You haven't been told yet about Arcueid-san yet, have you?"

As Hisui shook her head, Kohaku made a sympathetic clucking noise.

"No wonder you look so confused, Hisui-chan! Well, come on into someplace more quiet, and then I'll explain everything to you."

* * *

"Explain," Shiki said as soon as they both arrived in Shiki's room.

"Why, Shiki-sama, I've told you all there is to know!" Arcueid smiled brightly as she placed his bag on his study table. "I'm a maid here for the next month or so, and I'll be serving you however you wish!"

"…" Shiki drew in a deep breath. "All right, fine, you're a maid. _Why_ are you a maid, Arcueid?"

"I thought it would be fun to try something like this out!" she said by way of explanation as she hurried over to the window, pulling the curtains open and letting light into the room. "Besides," she turned to look Shiki over her shoulder, a smile on her face. "You really seemed to like those maid uniforms, so I thought it would make you happy, Shiki – I mean, Shiki-sama."

"Arc, I told you it was just a dream…" Shiki's protest was weak. Arcueid already knew the truth of the matter, and his words were going to fall on deaf ears anyway. "How'd you manage to convince Akiha to let you do something like this?" he paused, a horrible feeling of doom welling up inside him. "Akiha _does_ know about this, right? You didn't just put on a maid costume and walk in here?"

"Of course not, Shiki-sama! Don't be silly!" Arcueid laughed. "I had some problems with Little Sister, of course, but we managed to work a deal out."

"A deal? What sort of deal?"

"Sorry, Shiki-sama, but part of the deal was that I couldn't tell you any of the details," Arcueid paused. "Will you need anything else, Shiki-sama?"

"No, I… well, yes," Shiki rubbed the back of his head. "Arcueid, please stop calling me 'Shiki-sama'. It just feels weird, coming from you."

"But I can't do that, Shiki-sama!" if anything, Arcueid's smile only grew wider. "You're my master. I have to treat you with the proper respect, don't I?"

"Yes, but…" Shiki's shoulders slumped. "You're going to be a maid for a month, Arcueid. And, um…" he paused, feeling his face grow warm. "You're… probably… going to be my lover for… um, a lot longer, so…" he trailed off into an embarrassed silence.

After a moment, Arcueid smiled and nodded. "All right. I'll think about it, Shiki-sama," and with that, she bowed and left the room.

* * *

Hisui was frowning.

It was relatively rare for such a thing to occur – Hisui believed absolutely that one of the core principles of being a successful servant was maintaining her dignity in any and all situations. Her elder sister evidently did not subscribe to a similar ideology, and relieved as Hisui might have been to see that her sister had been smiling – _really_ smiling – in more recent times, right now her smile was irritating Hisui.

An irritation that, combined with the _other_ big irritation that she had just learnt about, was sufficient to keep that frown firmly etched on our face.

"For an entire month, Nee-san?" she questioned.

"That was what Akiha-sama arranged with Arcueid-san, yes," Kohaku chuckled and nodded. "The next few days should be pretty interesting, wouldn't you say?"

'Interesting' was not the word that Hisui would have used. 'Upsetting' came readily to mind. 'Disastrous' might be even more apt. And she wasn't referring to the relatively high probability that Arcueid-sama's idea of 'cleaning' might result in even more destruction that when her sister tried to perform such duties.

Not _mainly_, anyway.

"Why would Akiha-sama agree to such an… unorthodox arrangement?" she tried instead.

"Who knows?" Kohaku shrugged and did a rather execrable job of trying to convince Hisui that she hadn't had a hand in the matter. But knowing her sister, trying to pry the truth of her would be a task only slightly less problematic than cleaning out the backed-up garbage disposal.

"An entire month…" Hisui whispered to herself. She had absolutely no doubt as to what roles Arcueid would want – no, _demand_ – as a maid of the household, and worse yet, she saw no way to refuse her on professional grounds. It wasn't like those tasks would require a large amount of expertise after all…

As she was lost in thought, Kohaku glanced up the clock on the wall and let out a tiny 'hm' before turning to head off.

"Nee-san, shouldn't you be bringing Akiha-sama her nightly tea right now?"

"Oh? I let Arcueid-san handle it just for tonight. It'll probably be good practice, won't it?"

* * *

A mournful strain filled the air as Akiha stood on the balcony, eyes half-closed in concentration as she practiced her violin. In between her responsibilities as a student and the head of the Tohno household, it was a rare moment when she got to relax and indulge in her hobbies, and right now she was glad for the chance.

The door to her room creaked open, and Akiha lowered the violin from her shoulder, not bothering to turn it around.

"Just leave it on my bedside table," she told Kohaku.

"If you say so, Little Sister," came the cheerful reply.

Blinking with surprise, Akiha turned to regard Arcueid, still in her maid uniform, carefully setting the tea tray down.

"Oh, Arcueid-san…" Akiha said softly.

"Well, will there be anything else, Little Sister?" Arcueid questioned as she straightened up and wiped her hands on the apon.

"No, that will be all," Akiha said curtly as she turned away. Then she paused. "Actually, yes. Arcueid-san, should you not be observing proper decorum?"

"Decorum?" Arcueid blinked and looked at her.

"As a maid of the household, you should be referring to me with a certain amount of respect, should you not?" Akiha questioned as she looked at Arcueid out of the corner of her eye.

"Ah, yes…" Arcueid blinking, looking uncommonly surprised. "My apologies… Akiha-sama."

"Accepted. You may leave, Arcueid-san."

As Arcueid departed the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click, Akiha let the slightest of smiles grace her lips

At least _something_ good had come out of this trainwreck.

* * *

At seven o'clock the next morning, Hisui made her customary path towards Shiki-sama's room, his neatly-pressed uniform already in her hands. As she neared the door, she felt a momentary and uncustomary rush of nervousness.

To be honest, she'd half expected Arcueid-sama to be here before her, waking Shiki up.

But apparently schedule-keeping was not one of Arcueid's strengths.

Giving thanks to the universe for small mercies, Hisui pushed open the door to Shiki's room.

To come upon the sight of Arcueid on all fours on top of Shiki's bed, in the process of giving Shiki-sama a long and passionate kiss.

Hisui stood as if she had been made of stone. After an endless moment, Arcueid pulled away, smiling with contentment as she gazed down deep into Shiki-sama's eyes.

"Good morning, Shiki-sama," Arcueid said in a husky whisper.

"Good morning, Arcueid," Shiki was smiling back in turn. "And didn't I tell you not to call me 'Shiki-sama'?"

"Yes you did, Shiki-sama."

A short chuckle came from his throat as Arcueid pulled back, giving Shiki the room to sit up in his bed. His gaze swept the room – until it approached the direction of the doorway, and he realized that Hisui was standing there, her face as red as a tomato.

"Hi – Hisui!" Shiki blurted out.

And then another awkward silence descended upon the room until finally Hisui decided to break it in the only manner she knew how – with professionalism.

"A- Arcueid-san," she began to speak. "If you are going to wake Shiki-sama up in the morning, you should not forget his uniform. Such a large oversight is," she swallowed nervously, unused to lecturing the vampire that stood before her. "Is unbecoming of a maid of the Tohno mansion."

"Ahahaha!" rubbing the back of her head, Arcueid laughed and nodded. "Sorry, sorry! I'll remember next time, Hisui! Don't worry!"

_Next time._ The words, spoken so flippantly by Arcueid, tugged at Hisui's heartstrings. Ignoring that feeling, she turned to Shiki.

"Shiki-san, if you have already awoken, then I shall go tell Nee-san that you will be down for breakfast shortly."

After a moment, Shiki nodded slowly, and, leaving the uniform in the room, Hisui bowed and departed quickly.

* * *

After Shiki had left for school, Arcueid began to follow Hisui around in order to get the hang of how to clean the mansion up properly.

Well, at least that was the theory. In practice Arcueid flitted around asking what appeared to Hisui to be an unceasing array of increasingly inane questions.

She was willing to give credence to the idea that a lot of it was due to Arcueid being utterly and completely unused to how the cleaning of a house worked, and that her temper was just shorter than normal today.

Not that such a revelation actually helped her mood any.

"No, Arcueid-san," Hisui said as she continued to mop the floor. "We most certainly do not use toothbrushes to clean the paintings."

"Oh, okay," Arcueid nodded as she brought the cart of cleaning supplies forward. Her main contribution thus far had been to provide the muscle needed for moving anything heavy – something, Hisui had to admit, the vampire was extremely good at doing. "I saw it in a movie once, so I sort of figured…"

"Movies are often a poor reflection of reality, Arcueid-san," Hisui said shortly. Well, to be honest, it wasn't like she herself had much experience in the way of movie-watching, what with the lack of televisions in the Tohno household and she herself never leaving the grounds unless necessary, but she had heard Akiha-sama say something like that once, and it sounded relatively true.

"If you say so…" Arcueid's voice was soft, and Hisui blinked in surprise at a sudden, unfamiliar feeling washing up from within her. It felt a little like… triumph? No, nothing so grand.

More like… vindication of some sort.

Hisui sighed and let out a long breath. She didn't have the time or the energy to deal with this right now.

Just focus on her duties as a maid. That was all she needed to do.

* * *

The instant Shiki stepped through the doorway to the mansion, he could tell that something was wrong. Well, the fact that Arcueid was _standing_ there waiting for him instead of jumping down from the second story was vaguely pleasing, but…

Hisui never so much as glanced at Arcueid, but the waves of irritation radiating off the quiet maid was all but palpable. Shiki blinked as she stepped forward as soon as Shiki was through the doorway.

"Shiki-sama, may I take your bag?" she requested curtly. With a nod, he relinquished his bag to her and turned to Arcueid.

"So, Arc, how was your first full day as a maid in the mansion?" he said with an encouraging smile.

"It was wonderful! Both Kohaku and Hisui have been so helpful telling me about the work that needs to be done," Arcueid smiled right back. "And how was your day in school, Shiki-sama?"

"Oh, it was all right. With the exams over and done with, we're pretty much just cruising right now. I'm still pretty tired, though," Shiki smiled at Arcueid. "Sorry, Arc, but I have some work to finish up before dinner. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, I have to go help Kohaku with dinner too," Arcueid smiled and waved. "See you later, Shiki-sama!"

Shiki turned and headed up the stairs, trying not to notice the almost-visible cloud of gloom that hung over Hisui's head.

* * *

"Help me chop those carrots, please, Arcueid-san," Kohaku smiled brightly at her before returning to her own tasks.

"Got it!" with an enthusiastic nod, Arcueid set to her work, and the only sounds in the kitchen were of cooking getting underway for several long minutes.

"You know," Kohaku spoke up eventually. "It's a little rare for me to have someone to help me in the kitchen. Shiki-san helps out once in a while, but Akiha-sama thinks it's bad form for a member of the Tohno household to be doing such menial tasks," she laughed. "Arcueid-san, I'm glad you'll be helping me, even if it's just for a month."

"Well, as long as we don't make something like that cake again…"

Kohaku winced, almost imperceptibly. "Yes," she muttered. "Never again," and then, louder, she said, "And what about Hisui? I understand you spent most of today learning the basics of cleaning from her?"

"Yup!" Arcueid smiled widely. "I should be ready to start cleaning properly tomorrow. Hisui was really helpful to me!"

"I see, I see!" Kohaku laughed. "That's good, then."

* * *

"Shiki-sama, Akiha-sama, dinner is served!" Arcueid bowed low before placing the dishes in front of both members of the Tohno family.

"This looks great, Arc!" Shiki smiled up at her as he reached for her fork.

"Yes, I suppose it does," Akiha muttered as she popped a baby shrimp into her mouth. "I suppose Kohaku has been properly overseeing you for this job, Arcueid-san?"

"But of course! I could never have made this dinner without her help!" Arcueid cupped her chin thoughtfully. "Hisui doesn't normally deal with cooking, though? I wonder why?"

Akiha winced at the recollection that the vampire princess found absolutely nothing wrong with Hisui's cooking. "Nothing much," she mumbled. "Merely that she considers herself more skilled at housework, so that's where the majority of her tasks lie."

"I see," Arcueid nodded thoughtfully. "Well, Shiki-sama, Akiha-sama, I hope you enjoy your meal," and with another bow, Arcueid turned and left the room.

* * *

Several hours later, Shiki flopped onto his bed, his mind a dazed but happy blur. Arcueid had just bid him goodnight (very, _very_ enthusiastically bid him goodnight), and now, as he lay on his bed, he reflected that the disaster he'd feared didn't appear to be in the cards – at least, not for the near future.

He'd honestly dreaded the thought of Arcueid having to get acclimated to working as a maid in the mansion, but both Hisui and Kohaku appeared more than willing to treat her with kid gloves in so far as number of duties went, and in terms of physical endurance there really wasn't anything to worry about as far as Arcueid was concerned.

Yes, it was just possible that this might work out after all…

* * *

This wasn't working out at all.

That was the first thought in Hisui's mind when she went to pick up the laundry in the morning, only to find that Shiki-sama's uniform had been taken already. Resigning herself to not being able to wake up Shiki-sama that morning, she had resolved to simply wake up earlier the next time, and instead switched her attention to dealing with the rest of the laundry.

And now, after Shiki-sama had left for school, Arcueid was following her around again.

"Washing the windows, huh?" Arcueid glanced up at the exterior of the mansion. "Can I try?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Arcueid-san," Hisui said, just a trifle more spitefully than was really necessary. "Such a task would require more expertise and training than you currently possess."

"Oh, would it?" Arcueid glanced down at the bucket of soap water in her hand. "Basically we just need to get the dirt and stains off the windows, don't we?"

"Yes, but doing so as to leave the windows in an optimally clean state is not something just anyone can-"

"Marble Phantasm!" Arcueid cried as she lifted her hand. And instantly, all the accumulated dirt and specks and bird droppings on the window detached itself from the window pane and flew down, rapidly spinning into a tiny ball of clumped-together detritus.

After a moment, it fell to the ground with a soft splat, and Arcueid turned to Hisui with a big grin on her face.

"This one's done! Which one next?"

* * *

"Oh my, what's happening now?" Kohaku could hear the some kind of commotion coming from the foyer and she stepped in from the garden to see both Hisui and Arcueid engaged in some sort of argument.

"But it _worked_!" Arcueid protested as she frowned at Hisui.

"That is not the point!" Hisui insisted as she stared at Arcueid. "In the Tohno household, we do _not_ use the supernatural as a means for cleaning the house!"

"Oh, that's okay then!" Arcueid said with a laugh. "Marble Phantasm only allows me to recreate conditions that can occur within nature, so it's not supernatural at all!"

"No, it is _not _okay!" Hisui forced out through clenched teeth before letting a calming breath. "Arcueid-san, to be a maid means you have to be well rounded in all your duties, and in the proper manner to perform them. You can't be lax on any such matters, or you'll never be truly accepted as being professional."

"But, Hisui-chan…" Kohaku began hesitantly, and the two of them turned to face her. "It's not like you're well rounded in your duties either. Your cooking skills…"

Critical Hit! Hisui swallowed and stared at Kohaku, obvious displeasure in her eyes.

"Ahahaha… Arcueid-san," with a nervous laugh, Kohaku turned to the other member of the group. "I don't really understand all this, but… Hisui-chan is a little conservative when it comes to her duties. Please try to follow her lead on all this, okay?"

Arcueid sighed, and her shoulders drooped. "All right, all right," she muttered. "I just thought I'd make things easier for everyone…" and with a shrug, she turned and headed off into the mansion.

"…" Kohaku stared at Arcueid's retreating back for a moment before turning to Hisui. "Anything the matter, Hisui?"

"… No," Hisui shook her head after a pause. "Nothing's the matter, Nee-san. Nothing at all."

* * *

The next few days, Shiki couldn't help feeling uneasy. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't about Arcueid. The vampire princess had adapted quickly enough, and apparently found even the most menial tasks interesting enough to spend the time to do it properly on. The fact that she was in such close proximity to him in the mornings and evenings was a very pleasant bonus too.

No, the problem was Hisui. More and more he'd caught her looking distracted and troubled as she worked. The only recent change to the mansion recently had been Arcueid's presence there, so that had to be it, but Shiki couldn't figure out _why_.

"I mean, she should be glad Arcueid is helping her with her duties, isn't she?" Shiki questioned Kohaku as he helped her shell the prawns one evening.

"Oh?" Kohaku glanced up briefly. "Hisui was always like that, Shiki-san. She's not fond of others intruding on what she considers her own duties. You know how she always yells at me whenever I try to clean the house."

Silently, Shiki reflected that it had less to do with Kohaku wanting to help with the cleaning than that it was _Kohaku _who wanted to help with the cleaning, and out loud, he said, "Well, even then there are some things that Arcueid's taken over that Hisui should be glad for, right? Like nowadays she doesn't have to go out of her way to wake me up, and Arcueid's taken over her duties of waiting for me when I get back, too. All those little things she doesn't need to worry about anymore."

"…" Kohaku paused and looked at Shiki. "Shiki-san, I hate to say it, but… you really are dense, aren't you?"

"D- dense?" Shiki blinked. "Did I say something wrong?"

Kohaku let out an indulgent sigh. "Never mind, Shiki-san. You're probably better off not knowing. Now, are those prawns just about ready?"

"Yes, they-" Shiki broke off as he felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. "Eh?"

"Hm?" Kohaku glanced at him. "Shiki-san, are you all right?"

He paused, taking a deep breath as he tried to mentally assess himself. He was…

"Fine," he nodded. "I'm fine. And the prawns are just about-"

It appeared that today was not going to be a good day for updates on the status of prawns. A yell of frustration came from the foyer, and in an instant, Shiki had spun on his heel and headed out of the kitchen.

"Arcueid-san," Hisui was obviously trying to keep her temper in check. "That is _not_ how you clean out the repository of a vacuum cleaner."

"But that's how I did it whenever I need to vacuum my own apartment!" Arcueid argued right back.

"Then you did it wrongly, and my instructions were intended to correct your mistake."

"Hey!" Arcueid snapped as she folded her arms. "This is something I actually have experience with, so don't take that kind of tone with me, Hisui!"

"Now, come on you two," Shiki stepped forward, arms raised in a placating gesture. "This isn't any way to… to…?" The world spun around him, and he was vaguely aware of him hitting the floor hard.

"Eh? Shiki? Shiki!"

"Shiki-sama!"

"Shiki-san? What's wrong?"

* * *

"A fever," Kohaku confirmed as she held the thermometer up to check. "All the standard flu symptoms. Probably pushed yourself a bit too hard for the latest batch of exams, eh, Shiki-san?"

Shiki merely groaned in response.

"Well, just take the medicine I prescribed. All of it from a pharmacy, none of my own brews, I promise!" she winked at him. "Drink lots of water, get plenty of rest. You'll feel right as rain in no time!"

"Yes, don't worry, Shiki-sama!" now that she had been assured that nothing serious was afflicting Shiki, Arcueid was as cheerful as ever. "I'll be sure to take good care of you!"

"…" Hisui stared silently at Arcueid.

"Now then, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to preparing dinner," Kohaku headed for the doorway. "Ah, I'll make some nourishing soup for you too, Shiki-san. I'm not looking forward to telling Akiha-sama about what happened, though…" and with that, she disappeared.

"Let's see… cold compress, fresh set of pyjamas," Arcueid went through a mental checklist as she bustled around the room, getting everything she'd needed to look after a sick person. "I should probably get a fresh jug of water while I'm at it, huh?"

* * *

"Shiki-sama?" Hisui knocked on the door.

"He's sleeping right now, Hisui," Arcueid called from inside, and Hisui had to fight to keep the frown from appearing on her face.

"I see," pushing the door open, she then moved the food cart containing Shiki-sama's dinner into the room. "I just wanted to bring his dinner up for him."

"Akiha-sama's not back yet?" Arcueid glanced up.

"No, she called the house a while back. Something about an unexpected deal from a competitor keeping her back late today."

"Oh, that's a shame."

"Mmph? Arc…?" Shiki stirred in his bed, and Arcueid turned to face him.

"Oh, Shiki-sama! Just in time for dinner!" And Hisui stood watching as Arcueid lifted the bowl from the cart and leaned over him.

_Stop that…_

"Say 'Ahh', Shiki-sama!" Arcueid giggled as she brought the spoon to Shiki's mouth as he sat up in bed, his back leaning against the wall.

_I should be the one doing that…_ Hisui was biting her lip so hard she could swear she had drawn blood.

"How is it? Is it good?" Arcueid grinned as she sidled closer to Shiki.

_Only me…_

"Stop that!"

"Eh?" both Shiki and Arcueid were staring at her now, and with a sense of creeping horror Hisui realized that she had just yelled that out loud.

A hushed silence fell on the room for several long seconds.

Finally, Shiki coughed and gently lifted the bowl from Arcueid's arms.

"Arc, I think I can feed myself from here. Thanks."

"Ah… yeah," Arcueid nodded. "Okay. I'll check on you later, Shiki."

Silently, Hisui departed the room, pulling the empty food cart with her. Arcueid followed close behind. Once the door to Shiki's room was closed with a click, Arcueid turned to face her, her arms folded.

"Now, Hisui, what's this about? You've been acting strangely these past few days."

Hisui stared at Arcueid miserably. What was there to say? She shook her head.

"Looking after Shiki-sama… waking him up in the mornings… waiting for him after school… taking care of everything he needed…" she began in a low, shaky voice. "That was supposed to be my job, Arcueid-san. Those things, were things that I wanted to do. They were…. They were supposed to only be done by me! I'm supposed to be Shiki-sama's personal maid! But… but! Ever since you've come here, you've taken them all…" she trailed off miserably, staring at the ground, unable to meet Arcueid's face.

And then she gasped in shock as she felt a hand patting her on her head.

"Boy, Shiki sure is lucky," she lifted her gaze to see Arcueid smiling at her. "Having such a devoted maid and everything. You know, Hisui, if you'd wanted to keep doing those duties, you could have just asked. I wouldn't mind, and I'm pretty sure Shiki wouldn't mind, either."

"Eh? But… Arcueid-san, you… and Shiki-sama…"

"The maid thing's only for a month or so, you know," Arcueid laughed. "It's not a big deal for me, Hisui. Well, I'd still like to wake Shiki up once in a while. But if those duties are important to you, then I can let it pass. That's what friends do, right?"

Hisui blinked. Had… Arcueid-san just… called her…?

A low blush spread across the maid's face and she nodded. "Yes, it is. Thank you, Arcueid-sama."

* * *

Several weeks later…

"Well, our house is still standing," Akiha said dryly. "So I suppose you could claim to have exceeded my expectations, Arcueid-san."

"Ahaha!" Arcueid laughed. "Thanks for letting me work here, Akiha-san. It was really interesting!"

"Yes… I suppose you could have done a far worse job," Akiha sighed. "Well, in any case, your service is at an end, so here," she handed Arcueid a slip of paper.

"Eh? What's this?"

"Payment for services rendered," Akiha shrugged. "Never let it be said that I'd treat any of my employees unfairly, regardless of the circumstances under which they were employed."

"Okay, thanks, Little Sister!" Arcueid smiled back. "But, to be honest, I don't really need any more money. I have more than enough already."

"I know. Which is why your payment is in movie vouchers," she folded her arms. "Those, I assume, are of interest to you."

"Hahaha! Little Sister knows me too well!"

"Don't call me Little Sister," Akiha muttered, but there was no ire in her voice.

"See you soon, Little Sister! Bye, Shiki! Bye, Hisui, bye Kohaku!" with a wave of her hand, Arcueid took a flying leap away from the mansion, back to the city.

"And that settles that, I suppose," Shiki took in a deep breath.

"Are you going out later, Nii-san?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, Arihiko wanted to visit some new restaurant that just opened, so…"

"Hm. Well, be sure not to come back too late. Kohaku, could you follow me for a moment?"

"Yes, Akiha-sama?" the cheerful maid followed Akiha into the kitchen, and then Akiha turned around to face her.

"I didn't want to make any sort of fuss while Arcueid-san was still working in the mansion, but now that that is over and done with… how did you find my notebooks?"

Kohaku froze. "A… ahahaha… Akiha-sama, what are you talking about? I don't deal with cleaning duties, in the first place…"

"Yes, that would serve to explain why all of the items on my desk happened to be rearranged the wrong way after you were done digging through them. You just weren't familiar enough with the layout," Kohaku took a step back as she saw Akiha's hair rising around her, a familiar sizzling sound starting to fill the air.

Abandoning all pretence at innocence, Kohaku huddled down into a ball and offered a silent prayer that it all end quickly.

* * *

"…" Ciel massaged her forehead. "I thought it was too good to be true, and it was. One whole month without you out and about during the night. And now here you are, back and as annoying as ever."

"Oh, come off it Ciel!" easily keeping pace with her as they leapt from rooftop to rooftop, Arcueid let out a chuckle. "I know you're glad to have a companion for your patrols. Not that it's really much of a patrol – there haven't been any Dead in the city for months."

"A true professional does not let complacency dull their blade," Ciel snapped, and nothing more was said as they continued for several moments, until-

"AND WILL YOU **CEASE** YOUR INCESSANT HUMMING!"

"You need to learn how to enjoy yourself more, Ciel," Arcueid replied.

"And just what's gotten you into such a good mood, anyway?"

"I found something fun to do, that's what!" Arcueid called back.

"Really," Ciel muttered. "Knowing you it'd be something stupid like observing the life cycle of a caterpillar or something."

Arcueid didn't bother to reply to that, the gears of her mind already turning. If working as a maid in the mansion had been fun, then… well.

It stood to reason that getting another job somewhere else would be fun too, wouldn't it?

* * *

Wow.

This was long.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this.

I'd appreciate reviews!

Next: The Magical White Moon Princess Phantasmoon vs. the Broken Lightbulb


	16. Phantasmoon vs the Broken Lightbulb

The World of the Moon

* * *

Sixteen: The Magical White Moon Princess Phantasmoon vs the Broken Lightbulb.

So who's ready for more Phantasmoon? I know I am.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

_The wind howled around the bleak desolate wastes of the Millenium Castle._

_The area was a silent, abandoned ruin._

_Naturally, for none of the beings that could lay claim to being the Master of the Castle were anywhere near, and so it was silent._

_That is not to say there was no one there._

_Standing a brief distance from a castle was a single figure, clothed in a black. Though his features were aged, his back was straight, his eyes shone with a keen steadiness, and a strength radiated from his being. The only concession to who apparently advanced years was an elaborately carved walking stick that he held in his right hand._

_He was silent for a long moment, not drawing any closer to the empty bastion. It wasn't as if he could, even if he wanted to. Even without its master, the barrier itself held fast against any who would presume to intrude without the Master's permission._

_And so he stood there, waiting._

_Finally, there was an imperceptible shift in the air, a tiny picking up in the pace of the wind, and abruptly Arcueid Brunestud was standing in front of him in a plain sundress._

_Even as he watched impassively, the dress appeared to melt away into nothing, replaced at the same time by the regal outfit of the Princess of the True Ancestors. Her stony gaze never wavered from him._

_True Ancestor and Dead Apostle stood staring at each other for several long seconds. Then Arcueid Brunestud lowered her head by a fraction._

"_Master Zelretch." Her tone was icy, drained of any emotion._

_A low sigh came from the Wizard Marshall's mouth. "I can still remember the times when you would call me 'Grandfather'. Where did they go, I wonder?"_

_There was no reply, and Arcueid merely continued staring at him. Any other might have been discouraged by this apparent display of reticence, but Zelretch knew that Arcueid bothering to come out to meet him instead of simply returning straight to the castle and sealing herself away again was indicative of the personal respect she held for him, and so he pressed on._

"_Regardless, I take it your latest journey was as per usual? Another incarnation of Roa destroyed?"_

_He didn't really need to ask, of course. Being the Wizard Marshall meant having access to several records, such as the reports about a tiny village in the French countryside losing all contact with the outside world, and a powerful blue-haired vampire appearing in the ruins of the place._

_But he asked anyway. This would be a good lead-in to the real purpose of his visit, after all._

_Arcueid was silent for a long moment, and then, "Yes."_

"_Good, I thought as much," he smiled warmly at her. "I heard the reports, though – this was the strongest version of Roa since the original. Her magic was apparently incredibly powerful."_

"…"

"_Well, far be it for me to say that the Princess of the True Ancestors would ever have trouble with destroying Roa or any other Dead Apostle, but… I thought perhaps that I could come to offer some of my aid."_

"_I do not need it," her voice was soft._

"_It's not really a matter of need, you see," Zelretch sighed. "I happen to have some measure of skill with Thaumaturgy, Arcueid, and I thought I could teach you some of the basics."_

"_Impossible," came the flat reply. "A True Ancestor such as myself cannot wield the magic of humans."_

"_I never said that," the aged vampire explained patiently. "I know that during the fight Roa wielded a new kind of magic you hadn't experienced before – one powerful enough to hurt even you," he paused for a brief moment. "I thought teaching you a bit about Thaumaturgy and how to deal with it might prove useful, even if, as you say, you cannot actually wield it. Or you could return to sleep if you so prefer."_

_Another silence, broken only by the blowing winds through the rocks they were both standing on._

"_Well, Arcueid. I make this offer freely. What say you?"_

_There was a long silence._

_And then with but a single movement of her head, Arcueid gave her answer._

* * *

"Mmph," Arcueid muttered as she sat up in the bed, rubbing sleepily at her eyes. "What… time'sit?" she slurred as she turned towards the clock on the wall.

"…Still… early" she mumbled thickly. "Bed feels soft… and good…" she flopped back down onto the downy pillows, a satisfied sigh blowing out of her as she allowed herself to relax.

As she stared up at the ceiling though, the parts of her that understood and remembered what she had to do began to assert herself.

"That's right…" she said to no one in particular. "I need to fix Alt as soon as possible. I can't fight properly like this."

With a annoyed grunt, she sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes a second time to properly clear the sleep out of them.

And at that moment, the door creaked open. "Ah, Arcueid-san!" Kohaku peeked into the room, a bright smile. "You're up already? Shiki-san asked me to check on you before he left for school."

"Yes, I'm awake," Arcueid smiled right back. "I'll be fine, Kohaku – I could do with a nice cup of tea though."

"Got it!"

As Kohaku left the room, Arcueid glanced out the window at the sun shining brightly. "No danger right now," she muttered as she climbed out of the bed.

That was likely to change pretty soon, so if she was going to avoid placing the people around her in any danger, she would have to move quickly.

A few minutes later, when Kohaku had bustled back into her room with a tea tray, Arcueid had already changed into a more normal set of clothes and was busy flipping through what appeared to be a set of blueprints.

"Your tea, Arcueid-san."

"Ah, thanks," Arcueid looked up. "By the way, did you get all the materials from the list I gave you yesterday?"

"Ah, yes I did!" Kohaku nodded. "I'm not sure what all those cans of coloured glitter are for, though."

"Makes a good substitute if I can't get powder," Arcueid shrugged. "Thanks, Kohaku!"

Approximately an hour later, Arcueid had finished drawing the runic circles in the middle of her room. Of course, she had had to move most of the furniture out of the room to do it, but she could put everything back later without much problem.

It wasn't a magus' workshop by any means, but it would serve her well enough. She hoped.

Bringing up the bottom half of Alt to look at it, Arc wiggled her fingers slightly, summoning a tiny whoosh of air to float out both broken power crystals.

"Problem number one," she muttered to herself. Fixing them would be possible… hopefully, but it would have taken far too much time unless she had a place she could properly wait and prepare. At least now that she had her own room for the next few days, she could work in peace.

Laying down one of the broken power crystals, she picked up the other half of the wand, taking the other half of the cut gem out in much the same way.

"A really smooth cut, huh," she mumbled. _Shiki's power is actually pretty weird. I'll have to ask more about it some other day._

"Now, where are those powders…" turning behind, she brought out the sparkly glitter. Her wand getting broken was a bit of a catch-22 – she would require magic to properly fix it, but her primary source of magic was the wand itself. She couldn't even teleport properly the way she was, which meant she couldn't return to find someone else to fix it for her.

At least Grandfather had properly prepared her for such an eventuality – even if the best methods were _still_ slow and going to waste a whole lot of her energy before the day was out.

"He could have just lent me his Jewelled Sword, but nooo…" grumbling to herself, Arcueid grabbed the four broken pieces of the power crystals and laid them around the spell circle in four separate spots, where the runes would direct most of the available energy to, before she began sprinkling the glitter dust over the room. The upshot of this was that glitter was a heck of a lot harder to clean off that the powders used by magi, but she could live with that.

That done, she settled herself down in the centre of the circle, crossing her legs as she took in a deep breath. Closing her eyes, she focused and concentrated.

And in the silence of the room, the magic circle began to glow.

* * *

"Oh, hello, Shiki-san," Kohaku smiled at him. "You're home later than normal today. I was beginning to wonder if I should cook dinner for you at all."

"Shiki-sama, may I take you bag?" Hisui said softly before relieving Shiki of his satchel.

"I'm sorry," Shiki smiled at her. "One of my Senpais wanted to talk to me today and I ended up staying late," briefly he replayed the memory of Ciel-senpai leaning over to sniff him suspiciously during the afternoon.

"Oh, it's no bother at all," the smiling maid nodded.

"Thanks. Anyway, how are Akiha and Arcueid?"

"Akiha-sama will be back late today, Shiki-san. She's dealing with family business. As for Arcueid-san…" Kohaku paused. "She asked not to be disturbed after breakfast, so I left her in her room until now."

"Wait, until now?" Shiki glanced up at the clock. "That's over ten hours!"

Hisui shook her head. "But Arcueid-sama specifically requested it. When Nee-san went to knock and call her for lunch, Arcueid-sama told her that she would be fine."

"I – I see…" Shiki frowned as he shrugged his school jacket off. _What would be keeping Arcueid in her room the entire day? Magic practice or something?_

"I'll just go check on her, then. Hisui, could you bring my bag to my room?"

"As you wish, Shiki-sama," Hisui bowed low and turned away as Shiki plodded up the stairs towards Arcueid's room.

"Arcueid?" he called as he knocked on the door. "May I come in?"

"Shiki?" at the sound of her voice, Shiki's eyes widened in alarm. It was shaky and hesitant, with the speaker evidently in pain in some sort.

"Arcueid! Are you all right?" yanking open the door, Shiki strode into the room – to find her sitting in the centre of the room, in the centre of a glowing magic… circle… symbol… thing of some kind. A look of annoyance flashed across her sweat-streaked face.

"Hey! Did I say you could come in?" but that expression collapsed just as quickly. "Oh whatever. I'm almost done, anyway. Don't come any closer, though."

"Ah, uh…" Shiki glanced around the room, instinctively finding something 'off' about the place. "Um, Arcueid? Where's the furniture?"

"On the roof."

"_What?_"

"Don't worry, there's no rain forecast for today, they'll be fine. I'll move 'em back after I'm done."

"Done…" Shiki hesitantly pushed the glasses up his nose. "Done with what?"

"Fixing my wand, of course," Arcueid wasn't really paying any more attention to him. "And… there!"

Suddenly, a bright flash of light burst through the room, and Shiki instinctively raised a hand to cover his eyes from the blinding glare.

When the light had died down somewhat, he could see two tiny jewels floating in between Arcueid's palms, and a satisfied smile on her face.

"There. That's about as good a repair job as I'm going to manage," Arcueid said as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "Oh, and by the way, Shiki, you might want to tell the maids to spread extra fertilizer in the garden the next few days. I kinda drained a bit of energy from everything around the area to get the magic necessary to fix my wand."

"D- drained?"

"Uh huh," Arcueid sat back and sighed. "This magic circle here naturally draws in and stores any mana that can be found in the vicinity, but the rate is really, really slow. I needed to speed the process up as much as possible, so I used myself as the anchor to gather as much mana as needed," a smile crossed her face. "What would have taken a week took about half a day!"

Leaning down, Shiki silently traced the glowing rune on the floor with a finger before looking up at Arcueid again. "This, um… looks pretty advanced."

"Not really," Arcueid sighed. "As a mana trap it's pretty low ranking, which is why it would be so slow normally. It's pretty much the best magic I can do in my current condition, though," a pause. "Hopefully that should change in a few minutes," and as she spoke she shot a worried glance at the setting sun outside the window.

Standing, she made her way over to the floor where she had left the pieces of her broken wand, giving Shiki the time to notice that her clothes appeared to be covered in what appeared to be an inordinate amount of glitter.

"Well," Arcueid drew in a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." And saying so, she slotted first, then the second gem into the wand and joined the two halves back together.

* * *

_Arcueid followed silently behind Zelretch as the wizard entered his home – at least his home for this existence. She was vaguely aware of his ability to visit multiple parallel dimensions, but after determining that it hadn't had anything to do with her task of exterminating the Dead Apostles and Demon Lords, she'd never paid any more attention to it._

_As she kept pace with the aged man, Arcueid silently pondered. This was not a familiar act for her by any means – prior to this any and all memories of her life involved her having a clear goal, whether bestowed on her by the other True Ancestors who had created her, or an entirely personal one that involved hunting down the single entity she hated more than any other in this world, leaving her with little to ponder about._

_Not that she had very many of such memories anyway. She knew her memory was washed out every time she returned to sleep, and accepted it as an ordinary, regular part of her life. She could not remember anything beyond information needed to destroy vampires, whether from the lore that the others had taught her or personal experience of the myriad methods they had of protecting themselves and exterminating others._

_No._

_There was something else._

_One single scrap of irrelevant memory that had survived, indelible, through eight hundred years of brainwashing and silence._

_A moonlit field of silver flowers._

_A man clothed in black, with a gentle smile on his face as he looked down at her._

"_Grandpa Zel, why do you smile?"_

"_What a question, child. Is it odd for me to smile?"_

"_The others in the castle never smile. Only you do."_

"_Well that's because they're a bunch of hidebound old goats. As for me, I smile because it always gives me great happiness whenever I see you."_

"_Happiness. What is happiness?"_

"_Hm? Oh, happiness takes many forms, my dear. For example, for someone like you, to open both your eyes and to catch a single glimpse of sunlight would be happiness beyond measure."_

_The words had sounded strangely ominous then, and to this day she could not understand it. Any explanation that he might have provided was lost by now, everything beyond those few lines vanished into the inky void of her memory._

_She didn't understand. She knew – felt – however, that the man was someone she could trust._

_And that was why she followed him now._

"_Master Zelretch, welcome ba- Oh, you brought a guest!"_

_She knew her purpose. She existed to destroy the Dead Apostles (and she consciously refused to include Master Zelretch in their number, no matter what anyone else might say), and nothing more. She had nothing else._

_And so, it was only because Master Zelretch had offered to teach her about some basic Thaumaturgy that she had agreed to come here. Most of the strongest Dead Apostles were accomplished magi, and so it would make sense to properly understand the methods they used to fight so she could better counter them._

_That was all. It would be of practical benefit, and so she had accepted._

_Nodding her head, she continued following him deeper into the manor._

* * *

The satisfying jerk Arcueid has felt as the flow of magic through Alt was resumed Arcueid had half expected.

The subsequent scream she had not.

"AAAAARGGGHHH!"

"Alt! Quiet!" she snapped, noting that Shiki had jerked away at the sound.

"Quiet? _Quiet_!" Alt snapped right back at her. "I have been stuck a broken _shell_ for the past week-"

"Four days."

"Whatever – the _point_ is that I have been completely inert and unable to _do_ anything to the stupid, four-eyed _brat_ who broke me in the first place! You there! Boy!"

"Er – ah, yes?"

"Come a bit closer so Arcueid can hit you for breaking me. Arcueid, hit him for breaking me."

"No."

"I knew you were going to say that. You keep wanting to _try_ things because they're 'new' and 'exciting' up until it's something I actually want you to try and then you just say no."

Arcueid placed a finger to her temple and began massaging. "Why did I want you repaired, again?"

"Because I am a fount of unparalleled magical power, the type of which has long been lost to the world of Man?"

"No, I remember now – it's because I need you to properly cancel my transformation. I'm not really Arcueid or Phantasmoon like this, so I can't do anything."

"Hm? Oh, of course. You didn't bother to remember how to manually cancel transformations, did you?"

Arcueid blinked. "There's a way to manually cancel transformations?"

What sounded like a growl of frustration came from the wand in her hands. "You. Are the _WORST_. Magical Girl EVER!"

"Hey, I'll have you know Grandfather said I picked up the proper principles faster than any of his other apprentices before me!"

"You think watching episodes of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha counts as 'revision'!"

"What?" Arcueid folded her arms. "Grandfather was the one who bought all those box sets – I just made use of them since they were already there!"

"… And with that one sentence, I have learnt more about the old fart than I ever wanted to know."

"Er…" at the hesitant voice, Arcueid glanced up at Shiki who wore an expression of blank bafflement. "I…"

"Oh, sorry, about that, Shiki, I haven't properly introduced it yet," she held out Alt for him to get a closer look. "This is Alt, he's my wand. I could have hoped for one with a better personality, but Grandfather said I worked well with it."

"Er, um…" staring at the wand, Shiki scratched his head and extended his hand before realizing that it was a pointless gesture. "Nice to… meet you?"

"We've already met, boy," Alt snapped. "You remember? When you _murdered_ me?"

"Oh. Er, sorry. I wasn't really… aiming for…" Shiki trailed off, a briefly troubled expression crossing his face.

"Apology not accepted. As a matter of fact, I don't really see why I should –" Arcueid flicked her wrist in a bored manner, tossing Alt into the far wall of the room. "OW!"

"We are _guests_ in Shiki's house," Arcueid looked over at the wand. "So we should behave with some basic manner of civility, wouldn't you say, Alt?"

"One day I'm going to figure out magic to animate myself properly and then you're going to be sooo sorry," Alt grumbled.

"Anyway, let's get into a bit more open ground. I want to get back to normal as soon as possible." Arcueid said as she glanced at the wand.

"Fine, fine. At least this is a mansion, so there'll be a big enough garden. Let's go, Arcueid."

* * *

"_And this will be your aid," Zelretch said as he handed the item to her._

_Arcueid stared at it… well, 'curiously' would have been the wrong adverb to use, but she stared at it nonetheless, taking in the details of the instrument in her hands._

_It was predominantly pink in colour, a long handle with a slightly wider base than the rest of the object. The head of the object was in the shape of a heart, with two tiny bat wings extending out the side. A miniature golden crown resting on top completed the look of the object._

"_What is this?"_

"_Oh, that's a magic wand. Its name is 'Alt' and for now, it will aid you in sensing the flow of magic. This will be very important during your training, so remember to keep it on hand at all times."_

_Arcueid glanced down at the slender device in her hand before returning her gaze to Master Zelretch and nodding once._

_Somewhat to her surprise, she thought she had discerned the traces of a mischievous smirk on the Wizard Marshall's aged face._

* * *

"All right, here goes!" Arcueid held the wand out in front of her and took a deep breath. "Release transformation!"

As Shiki sat on the bench watching, light began pouring off Alt, whirling and wrapping around the both of them until there was only a shining sphere of glowing light. Gradually, the glow faded, until he could see Arcueid standing in the centre, her eyes closed, a satisfied smile on her face as she nodded once.

"So," he began hesitantly. "Did that wo-"

"YAHOOOOOO-!" Crouching slightly, Arcueid jumped straight up – and soared so high that Shiki could only blink in surprise as she rapidly faded into a tiny dot in the evening sky. And then, moments, later, that dot began to grow larger again as Arcueid began her descent.

As he stood watching her return to earth, it occurred to Shiki that standing in close proximity to the landing site of someone who was falling to earth at meteoric speeds was perhaps not the best of ideas. Before that thought had even fully formed, however, a sudden whoosh of wind gusted through the area, whirling around the falling Arcueid and slowing her fall down to earth, so that when she touched down it was with a light, airy grace.

"Man!" Arcueid exulted, as she pumped both fists into the air. "You really don't know how much you miss something until you've lost it and can't do anything about it!" and before Shiki could say anything else Arcueid had already started doing cartwheels around the garden.

"That old geezer _promised_ that he'd give me to one of his absolute best students – the cream of the crop," Alt muttered in a resigned voice. "What I _got_ was a cat in human form permanently coked up on antidepressants."

"Shiki-sama, Arcueid-sama," Hisui's voice cut through the deepening gloom of the night. "Dinner is ready."

* * *

Dinner had been fantastic, as usual of the dinners in the Tohno mansion, and now Arcueid was sitting on the couch of the sitting room, talking with Alt and trying to make a plan.

"What do you mean you're not at full power?" Arcueid frowned at Alt. "I thought I fixed you!"

"Yes, by sticking in two half-merged crystals formed from a jury-rigged mana trap in so clumsy a manner I'm surprised they're still attached to my main frame. Honestly, I'm surprised I can actually talk to you at all. Most of my offensive spells are right out, thanks to you."

"Well, you're welcome, Alt," Arcueid's frown only deepened. "What are we supposed to do then?"

"_You_ can wait. At least my magic is flowing again, so as soon as I gather enough I can fix myself properly this time around. This shouldn't be a big deal, though. I mean, even in your normal form you're powerful enough to smash almost anything we meet."

"Yeah, I wouldn't have minded as much a couple of nights ago, but…" Arcueid sighed. "Alt, I think Nrvnsqr Chaos is hunting me."

"What? I thought you told me this trip was to get rid of the Akasha Snake guy!"

"I know, but that was before I met a black dog the other night. One that had enough strength to attack us during the evening. The main… um, body hasn't shown up yet, though," Arcueid paused. "Physical damage doesn't mean anything to something like Chaos. I'll have to use magic if I want to beat him and protect the people in this house. They agreed to take me in despite knowing the risks, so I can't let them down like that."

"… Point taken," despite not having lungs, Alt managed to sigh. "I'll work on restoring my functions as quickly as possible. In the meantime, you-"

One of the lights above them flickered and went dead. Arcueid glanced up and blinked at the increased gloom.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry, Arcueid-san!" Kohaku glanced up at the burnt out bulb. "Don't worry, I'll get Hisui to change it right awa-"

"No, no, hold on!" Alt spoke up. If Kohaku was surprised by a talking magic wand, she gave no indication of the fact. "This is a good opportunity, so we shouldn't waste it!"

"Opportunity?"

"Uh-huh! For training!" Alt's voice was cheerful now. "We can practice using your magic to fix the light bulb!"

"Eeh?" Arcueid glanced at Alt. "What's that about, Alt?"

"You keeping emphasizing your abilities in destructive magic. Well, guess what – that's not all that magic is about, and it's time you learnt that fact. We're practicing, and that's final!"

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Arcueid ran a hand through her hand. "All right, all right, we'll-"

"And no using Marble Phantasm either. _Magic_."

"You don't have to tell me, sheesh," Arcueid grumbled and lifted her arm to point at the shorted bulb. "Um, how did that invocation go again? Er, um - ضوء لمبة إصلاح!"

A spark shot out from her fingers, hitting the bulb dead on – and causing a puff of green smoke to burst forth. After coughing and waving it aside, the lightbulb was as dark as ever.

"I heard some noise," Shiki said as he rounded the corner and entered the sitting the room. "Anything the matter, Arcueid?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just – practicing –" Arcueid's voice was distracted as she stared at the busted bulb and prepared another spell. "Let's see here... επισκευής λάμπα!"

New light flooded the room – one that was caused by Arcueid's fingertip emitting a bright orange glow.

"Whoops," she muttered as she hastily extinguished the light.

"Worst. Magical Girl. Ever," Alt muttered.

"Shut up! I didn't bring any of my textbooks with me, okay? I'm working off memory here!"

"Um… we _can_ just change the bulb the normal way," Shiki suggested as behind them, Hisui entered the room, a confused expression on her face.

"No, no, I got this!" Arcueid insisted as she lifted her hand once more. "лампа ремонт! OW!"

A jolt of electric energy surged through Arcueid's body and she fell backwards, wincing in pain as Shiki caught her.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine!" she snapped angrily as she got to her feet once more, raising Alt above her head. "Screw this! I invoke the rites that lie beyond time!" and instantly a rushing wind began to fill the room.

"You are joking. You have _got_ to be joking," Alt groaned. "Are you actually going to invoke a Greater Magic for the purpose of _repairing a busted light bulb_?"

"I summon the powers that lie sealed in the Abyss! Gather unto me, lights of the ether!" ignoring Alt entirely, Arcueid closed her eyes and continued her incantation. "Let existence be torn asunder and remade according to my will! Whimsical Fairy of the Mystic Glade… _LET THINE ILLUSIONS BECOME REALITY!_" and as she proclaimed the last phrase, she flung a glowing sphere of light upwards at the light bulb.

With a sharp _crack!_, the light bulb flickered and began to glow again.

At the same instant that every other light in the mansion went dark.

The four people (and singular wand) present stood staring at each other dumbly for several long seconds, until the silence was broken by an annoyed grunt.

"Worst. Magic-"

"Shut. _Up._" Arcueid hissed through clenched teeth.

Then a cough from Shiki.

"Let's… um, fix the rest of the lights. The _mundane_ way. _Before_ Akiha gets back."

On that, at least, they were all agreed.

* * *

It was past midnight when the limousine smoothly glided through the main gates of the Tohno Mansion Grounds, Akiha sitting calmly in the back seat as she stared disinterestedly out the window. Her eyebrow raised slightly as she passed by the garbage disposal – there appeared to be an inordinate amount of light bulb boxes thrown out, but otherwise it was just another night when she had come back late after a long, hard day's work.

"Thank you, Kimura-san," Akiha said as she stepped out of the limo, handing her chauffeur a sizable tip. "I'll be relying on you again tomorrow."

"The pleasure was mine, Akiha-sama."

As the car pulled away, Akiha turned towards the doorway of the mansion, one hand already fumbling for the keys in her pocket. She had just inserted the key into the keyhole when she paused, her body tensing.

"You there," she called to the night air.

There was no reply.

"We do not treat lightly with shadowy stalkers here," Akiha continued. "Either make yourself known, or kindly leave."

After a brief moment, the presence she had sensed vanished.

Shaking her head, Akiha pulled open the door and entered her mansion.

* * *

_An unfamiliar feeling welled up inside Arcueid, but not so unfamiliar that she was unable to identify it as frustration._

_In front of her was an invisible wall. Master Zelretch had created it, and had instructed Arcueid to break it down without using an undue amount of force. He had deliberately weaved weakened areas of the magic field into the wall, such that pushing on one of those spots would completely unravel the entire spell._

_And all she had to do was to sense where those weakened areas were._

_Something she had been trying, and failing, to do for over an hour._

_For the Princess of the True Ancestors, failure of any sort was something she was almost wholly unfamiliar with, and this galled her far more than she cared to admit. Her face remained utterly impassive, her eyes darting back and forth as she tried to search out the secret behind the spell. Only her tightened grip on Alt betrayed any sign of irritation._

_The concept of 'cheating' and simply smashing the wall down, weak spots be damned, never even once occurred to her._

_Half the room away, Zelretch sipped at a cup of black coffee as he watched his newest apprentice's progress, or lack thereof._

"_You're treating her with kid gloves, I see," came a voice from behind him._

"_I see no need for you to comment on it, Ruby," he replied calmly._

"_I don't get it. The first apprentice in __**years**__ who looks like she could actually handle your full course, and you just give her a task any first year student would complete in ten minutes."_

"_All things in time," Zelretch said. "And by the way, could you get them to bring up this latest newspaper? That's a good wand."_

"_Fine, fine…"_

_Meanwhile, Arcueid continued staring at the wall. In the past few minutes she'd thought she'd felt wisps of… something, like lights dancing in the back of her vision. But whenever she tried to concentrate on it, the whole thing faded away and she was left staring at blank emptiness again._

_Finally, she let out a frustrated sigh and closed her eyes._

_And then she could __**feel**__ it._

_The flows of magic in the wall in front of her, shifting, flowing and twisting in an endless dance, concentrated around three angry spots from which the energy flow was disrupted and weakened…_

_Opening her eyes again, Arcueid reached out and pushed one of those spots with her finger._

_The wall shattered and crumbled away in an instant._

_Success._

_A brief spurt of triumph flared through Arcueid's mind and a smile split her lips._

"_Yes!" a tiny murmur of satisfaction._

"_I'm sorry, did you say something?" came a calm voice from behind her. "I'm afraid I didn't quite catch that."_

_Another unfamiliar feeling – embarrassment? – welled up within Arcueid, and she took a deep breath before she turned back to face her current teacher._

"_My apologies, Master Zelretch. I have succeeded at the task you assigned me."_

"_Indeed you have, child," striding over, Zelretch bore a full smile of satisfaction on his face. "Indeed you have."_

* * *

So.

Given how Phantasmoon is kinda ballooning up way beyond what I was expecting when I first started this plot thread, I'm going to have to say that right now Phantasmoon is going to be put on the backburner for a while, and when I restarted it it'll be it's own story, not really tied to a series of oneshots like The World of the Moon.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, though.

I would appreciate reviews.

Next: Sense and Sensuality


	17. Sense and Sensuality

The World of the Moon

* * *

Seventeen: Sense and Sensuality

Well, as far as these oneshots go, this is probably as risqué as it's going to get. I just thought I'd try exploring a slightly different facet of Shiki and Arc's relationship from the rest of the stories I've done so far.

All in all I guess it's going to be a more descriptive type of work than anything else. I hope you like what's here.

Also, once again, I think I chose a really stupid name for this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

The first thing that penetrates the fog of Shiki's slumber is her voice.

He stirs slightly in the bed, his eyes still closed as he hears a gentle, tuneless humming that seems to fill the room. She'd gotten up earlier than him – that was unusual. She was usually loathe to get up early and expose herself to the sun's rays.

Today, though, he can hear a soft puttering around in the kitchen, hear the soft pad of her footfalls on the tiles, and listen to her voice. There's the soft rustle of cloth, and then a note of surprise.

"Oh, you're awake! Good morning, Shiki!"

Her voice is beautiful, with a lightness and innocence to it that immediately invokes the image of a child laughing in the summertime. And so he smiles, sits up in bed and nods once in reply.

"Yes, I am. Good morning, Arcueid."

His own voice is thick and mumbly, his body still having not fully awakened yet, his eyes still blurry and his limbs still sore.

Arcueid doesn't appear to notice, and she walks over, handing him a steaming cup of coffee.

"I made it just the way you like it," a bashful laugh from her.

He raises the cup to his lips, takes a sip, and he smiles. "Thank you," he says softly.

As he drinks, he raises his eyes to look at her, reminding himself once again of just how beautiful Arcueid really is.

There's a slight smile on her face, her eyes crinkled ever so slightly, twin orbs of brilliant red that reflected the joy and love she had for life itself. Her golden hair is slightly mussed, indicative of her having just woken up, and as she settles herself down on the bed the sunlight pouring in from the window is caught in its strands, locks of shining white. His gaze drifts over the soft whiteness of her skin, a memory of the last night flashing in his mind. Under the silver moonlight, its resemblance to sculpted marble belied its softness. In the early morning sun, the skin fairly glows with golden light.

There's a gentle teasing in her expression as she reaches up with long, delicate fingers to relieve Shiki of her mug, slowly setting it down on the bedside table as she leans in closer to him. The only thing she is wearing is an unbuttoned white shirt, because she'd managed to tease it out of him before that he liked it when she wore it like that, and when it comes to him, Arcueid is nothing if not eager to please. As she leans forward, Shiki catches a brief glimpse of her full breasts and her flat, toned stomach before she draws him into a long, passionate kiss.

He reaches up one hand to her neck and, twisting his torso, he pushes her down onto the bed – not roughly, but with just enough force to communicate his intentions to her. Arcueid complies silently, settling down onto the soft mattress, staring at up him.

Shiki has seen many different expressions on Arcueid's face before. The most common one, at least recently, had been when she was smiling, brimming over with an unquenchable joy for life, a bright eagerness to explore, learn, and have fun. Then there had been the times when she was facing down an enemy, her face transformed into a cold mask of steel. Then, too, the times when she wasn't angry, but simply annoyed, her brows knitted together and her lips arranged in a pout. But one thing all these expressions shared was her strength, Arcueid's boundless energy and confidence.

But now… now she looks up at him with an expression of open, expectant vulnerability. A deliberate expression, an acknowledgment that she was at her most open – and that she accepted and welcomed it.

An expression that she would show only to him.

Just that realization is enough to make his heart swell with joy as he leans down over her, gently prying her lips open with his tongue.

There are no words, really, to describe this sensation – the feeling of their tongues rubbing against each other is enough to drive Shiki wild.

He doesn't know how long their kiss lasts, but even when it breaks off he knows he wants more, so much more of her. Ignoring her gasps for air, he lowers his tongue to her shoulders, deliberately drawing it across her collarbone slowly as he watches her writhe and squirm under his assault.

"S – Shiki…" she gasps his name out, a breathy sound.

Gripping her shirt, he slowly helps her remove it, revealing the entirety of her perfect body to him. Slowly, he continues his ministrations with his tongue, travelling lower down her body, through the valley between her breasts. He pretends that he can't hear Arcueid's suppressed gasps, that he can't tell that he's driving her crazy with his slow, deliberate strokes.

His body screams at him not to waste any time, to take her right that instant, but really, to keep her on the brink, to slowly, with a measured pace, drive Arcueid out of her mind, that's really so much more rewarding.

It is fair payback, he thinks, for how she can drive him crazy by her mere presence, by such simply acts like her laugh and her smile.

He can smell it now, a light, heady scent that tells him that she is ready, and so he stops, his hands reaching up to grab Arcueid by the shoulders.

There had been a time when she had flinched away from his touch. She had been nervous then, unsure about what was to be her first time, and she had asked him to be gentle.

Now, though, her only reaction was to shift her gaze to face him, her mouth open as she gasped for air. Her cheeks are flushed a deep red, and sweat covers her shoulders and back.

So beautiful.

He runs his fingers along her sides, feeling the softness of her skin, his light touches causing her to shudder as the sensation courses through her body.

Everything about her captivates him. Her soft, shuddering gasps sound like music to his ears. Her flushed cheeks, her red eyes brimming with tears, her perfect body, all sights that he can't tear his eyes away from. The feeling of his tongue against hers, the taste of Arcueid, still lingers vividly in his memory, the scent of her arousal drives him wild. The feeling of her skin under his fingertips, so soft and smooth, fills his mind.

He loves all of her. She is too much for his mind to fully take in, too much for him to fully comprehend. And so he doesn't try; he simply lets the sensations flow through his body as he leans in close to her, stealing yet one more kiss.

And then there is only warmth and heat, and joy.

* * *

They lie in the bed, a tangle of limbs and pillows and sheets. Arcueid's head rests against his shoulders, and while he cannot see her expression from where he is, he can well imagine the soft smile on her face.

And then, her voice, "Hey, Shiki?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"What shall we do today?"

He briefly ponders that. There were, after all, so many things to do, so many places to go, so much to experience. But really, he knows the truth of the matter.

"It doesn't matter," he finally answers. "As long as I can spend it with you," and as he says so, one hand reaches out to stroke her hair.

"I see," Arcueid says after a long pause. "I think I like that answer, Shiki."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

I don't do this sort of thing often. Can you tell?

Also, it might not have been a good sign that upon completing this chapter, the first thing that came to mind was 'At least I didn't use any seafood metaphors.'

Well, in any case, I hope you liked it. Comments and reviews would be much appreciated.

Next: Just 'Shiki', Just 'Arc'


	18. Just 'Shiki', Just 'Arc'

The World of the Moon

* * *

Eighteen: Just 'Shiki', Just 'Arc'

You know, sometimes I wonder if I'm not getting too repetitive in terms of subject matter when writing this. Usually I try to deal with different events, but a lot of the time the same themes keep showing up again.

Either way, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

He's been called many things, Shiki realizes as he walks down the street, his gaze roaming over the passing crowds.

His sister calls him 'Nii-san'. There's affection in the term, of course, but there are expectations behind it too, and he can hear it every time she says it, particularly in reproach. It's a question he has no answer to, a silent one, but there all the same.

"Why can't you be the brother I expected you to be?"

It's not about him living up to the standards of being a son of the Tohno family or any of that nonsense, what she wants is just for him to come home more often. To _be_ there.

Home. The thought strikes a chord in his mind and he realizes that even now, even after the fact that he had ultimately spent very little time living in the mansion, he still thinks of the place as home.

He had returned late last night, unannounced, and he'd seen the surprise and delight cross Akiha's face when he had stepped into the living room, but after the initial relief and welcome-backs, the questions had started, as always. Where he'd been, what exactly he had been doing, whether Arcueid was taking good care of him, whether he'd been injured or hurt. And of course, the important question, of how long he would be staying this time, whether it would be longer than the last time of a mere two days.

He was happy to tell her that there was nothing else in the foreseeable future (although that tended to change at the drop of a hat), and so after a small smile of satisfaction Akiha had bade Hisui to help prepare his room, make sure it was ready for him.

To be called 'Nii-san' by Akiha is to have certain expectations placed on him. In many ways he understands and accepts that, but he knows deep down that he can't ever fully meet them. And Akiha knows it too, so even in their most relaxed moments, there's always a small glimmer of tired resignation in her eyes.

Hisui calls him 'Shiki-sama'. He found it uncomfortable at first – certainly he'd never felt like someone who would ever deserve that honorific. But she insisted – insists – and he's grown to accept it as a part of his relationship with her. It's obviously a term of respect, of course, and Shiki can never really shake the feeling of discomfort because he always gets the feeling that, somehow, he doesn't really deserve the respect.

Not from _her_, at any rate. He hasn't really done anything for her, and in part that's because he's not sure what to actually do. She serves him faithfully, he thanks her for that and makes sure not to forget her on her birthdays and various other holidays, but other than that he doesn't know anything about Hisui. As a master, he's a poor one. It's not like he has the means to go out of the way to look out for her – at least, not in the same way Akiha does for Kohaku.

To be called 'Shiki-sama' is both pleasurable and discomforting. Pleasurable because, well, it's a nice thing to be called, and discomforting because, even if it's entirely on his own part, he wants to make sure he's worthy of the title.

Kohaku calls him 'Shiki-san'. That's less formal that Hisui, but at the same time less personal too, strangely. He knows that from young she watched him from a distance, and right now, while that distance has shrunk, it hasn't vanished. She smiles and laughs, and he's grateful that the smile now seems genuine, but Kohaku can still use it as a mask if she needs.

She's the one to nag him when Akiha cannot, to remind him of how Akiha was worried whenever he leaves on another trip, that Hisui spends her free time brooding whenever he is gone, and that he needs to take better care of himself for their sake. Akiha's words are coated in glass, and Hisui's own voice is muffled, the results of their upbringings, and so it falls to Kohaku to tell him the other half of the story – the one he knows, needs to, but sometimes doesn't really want to hear – of the deep, raw pain that pulses within everyone else in the family when they know he's out there on another trip.

She knows something of hiding behind tight, frozen smiles, and she warns Shiki not to do the same.

To be called 'Shiki-san' by Kohaku is a strange feeling, because the enigmatic maid simply leaves her own feelings on their relationship out of the matter, focusing instead on what Shiki needs to do for the other people in the mansion – the other people they both care for.

Ciel-senpai calls him 'Tohno-kun'. It's a strange feeling, to realize that he can know and not know Ciel-senpai very well at all. She departed the city for good a few years back, although she pays courtesy calls every now and then, on him and Arihiko and, when Shiki needles her enough, Arcueid. She laughs and jokes and acts like the bubbly Senpai Shiki remembers from school, but on the matter of the Burial Agency she is tight-lipped, a compartment of her life that is sealed from everyone but herself.

Sometimes he wishes that he could help her more, help ease her hurts. But there's a gap between them in their experiences, a black stain in Senpai's past that no one, not even someone like Arcueid, can truly understand. And so Shiki watches Senpai lock her past behind a smile and hopes that she is strong enough to move past her own demons, because she is too proud (scared?) to let anyone else help her do that.

For her part, Senpai always asks Shiki if he's doing well, although she's careful to skirt around saying anything outright. She has obligations as a member of the Church, and sometimes it really is easier for everyone's sake for her to turn a blind eye. Even if the final result wasn't something that would necessarily be _bad_, it would still be messy and so Shiki and Senpai have an unspoken agreement not to breach certain topics around each other.

To be called 'Tohno-kun' is a frustrating sensation, to see two people standing across a canyon, both deeply wanting to help the other, but with too much standing in the way for either to truly bridge the gap.

The community of the supernatural calls him 'Satsujinki'. It is a title, not a name. An attempt to give substance to a shadow, the unseen slayer of the Dead Apostles. Nobody knows who he is, except for a select few, and those few are not inclined to reveal such an important secret. And so they have taken to calling him that.

He isn't sure what to think of such a title. In some ways it is a symbol of recognition, of him achieving feats in vampire-slaying not equalled since the time when the White Princess was at her most active (although of course she's active now too and oftentimes right there beside him on the battlefield). To most he is a convenience, a ghost that cleans up the heretics and fallen without fuss. To some, it is a curse – because it irritates them that there is a being beyond their jurisdiction and knowledge that can still be so efficiently deadly.

And ultimately, he supposes it doesn't really matter.

He doesn't care much about them one way or another. The real reason he does what he does is for Arcueid's sake – nothing more, nothing less.

To be called 'Satsujinki' is for him a matter of indifference. As long as they don't get in his way, let them hail his as a hero or curse him as a monster.

Arcueid calls him 'Shiki'. There isn't any special meaning to that, of course. He'd merely told her his name and she had immediately taken to calling him that.

It's something extremely basic, and yet at the same time, he supposes it encompasses everything that needs to be said about their relationship.

She calls him 'Shiki' because that's what she sees, and that's what she wants from him. She said it herself before that she loved everything about him, and Shiki has come to realize far from it being some sentimental, clichéd line shared between lovers, Arcueid really did mean it.

She loves everything about him, even as he grows and changes, because she loves _him_. The parts of him that sometimes frightens himself, she had accepted as something inherent in him, took it into herself, and kept on loving him anyway. Sometimes he thinks that it can't possibly be good for her to do something like that, and that he had done terrible things – unforgiveable things – to her in the past, but she merely shakes her head and tells him not to bring that up, that if she could forgive him there was no reason for him not to forgive himself.

And that's why he loved her – would always love her. Because she loved him, and her love was simplicity itself – a single all-encompassing wave of will and emotion that clung on to him and would never let him go – and in return, asked only that when she called his name, he would be there to hear her, and that he would turn to face her, and that he would smile.

He likes being called 'Shiki'.

* * *

Arcueid has been given many titles throughout her long life.

The first, most obvious, would be her last name – technically not a last name at all, but a rank. 'Brunestud'. A name given only to the highest grade of True Ancestors, one worthy of becoming a vessel for Brunestud of the Crimson Moon when he finally returned to the world. A being that could manifest the Millenium Castle through the Marble Phantasm.

Royalty amongst the True Ancestors.

And with that title had come the knowledge that within her lurked another presence – in some ways herself, and yet in some ways a being completely alien to her. It had manifested herself before – she could remember the night they had faced and destroyed the Tatari, when something within her had changed and shifted, and her voice was not the steady calmness of her speaking on behalf of the planet, nor the cheerful laugh of her normal voice, but a cold, imperious condemning tone.

She had still been in command, was always herself to some extent or another, but… her perspective had changed. The way she viewed the world had shifted then, priorities had realigned themselves.

Sometimes if she wonders if Shiki would understand if she told him about it. From what he could gather, it was much like when he was under the influence of his Nanaya blood – it was still Shiki, just… different, too.

To be a Brunestud was to live bearing the knowledge that their lives were not fully their own – that, to one extent or another, they had to share the existence with another being that at the same time could be claimed to be _them_ as well.

And if to be a Brunestud was to share an existence, how much more being an avatar of the planet?

'Archetype Earth'. A title unique to her and her alone. The world had chosen her to be its Ultimate One, and so she now bore a responsibility to that end.

The planet is silent most of the time, content to let things be as they will, to let humanity run its course, but Arcueid knows that one day, the delicate balance will crumble, and she will be forced to choose a side.

What scares her is that right now, she still doesn't know which side she will choose in the end.

Her status as an Ultimate One also means that Gaia's will resides within her. Most of the time it rests, but there are times where, through the haze of her waking dreams, she can hear the planet whisper to her. Sometimes, she speaks on behalf of the planet, and once again while it's her it's not really _her_ speaking. It's an odd feeling, and she doesn't really like it.

But those incidents come about rarely enough that she doesn't pay that much attention to them. She'd made her peace with it as much as she possibly could, and besides, it's not like she doesn't have enough on her plate to take up her time anyway.

'The White Princess of the True Ancestors.' A title that was spoken both in hushed, reverent tones and in venomous snarls of hate.

Even before the planet had 'blessed' her with the status of an Ultimate One, she had been born – created, really – with a purpose in mind. The strongest and purest of the True Ancestors, designed to hunt down those who had succumbed to their bloodlust and their Dead Apostle offspring.

For eight hundred years, that was all she had known. That was her duty, her _purpose_.

And then everything had changed.

She could still remember the conversation she'd had with Shiki, late one night.

"If you really intend to go out there and keep hunting them, I'll follow you," his voice had been soft. "But, first… let me ask you a question."

"What is it, Shiki?"

"Are you hunting the Dead Apostles because that's just what you're supposed to do, or do you _want_ to do this?"

She'd been surprised then, both by the bluntness of the question and how deeply it had struck. She'd been silent for a long while after that, pondering the question in her mind.

When she had finally given her answer to Shiki, he had nodded, smiled gently, and said, "Then let's go, Arc."

'Arc'. Not even 'Arcueid'.

Just… 'Arc'.

It wasn't a particularly creative name, as far as names went. Even she, so unused to the mundane and the ordinary, could tell that. Although she had to admit that it rolled off the tongue rather well.

She liked the name because of its simplicity.

It wasn't grandiose-sounding like 'Archetype Earth' or 'the White Princess'. It was a nickname, spoken personally, between people who were close to each other. After so many years of grey silence, she likes the simplicity of the ordinary.

But more than that, she liked it because it was _Shiki's_ name for her.

All her titles had been loaded with expectations and responsibilities, many that she, like it or not, could not refuse. To be a 'Brunestud' was to serve as a vessel for the Crimson Moon. To be 'Archetype Earth' was to function as the avatar of the planet's will. To be the 'White Princess' was to be the scourge of the Dead Apostles and the Demon Lords.

But to be 'Arc'… was simply to be herself. To be what she _wanted_ to be in his presence.

She hadn't known that at first. Shiki had been the one to slowly coax her out of her shell, of the expectations she had held for herself even after he had killed her and she had woken up with her new perspective on things.

"_So how about it? Can't a human like you cooperate with a vampire like me?"_

She'd asked him about it once before, and he'd flushed a deep red as he recalled that day.

_"Wow! Are you serious? I'm really a vampire, you know!"_

_"... Hey, listen. Why are you saying all this now, after you've threatened me so much?"_

At that time, she'd still thought herself as fundamentally different from humans – unapproachable.

_"I can move my body a little better and wake up, only to find you sleeping there happily. You looked so vulnerable, I was seriously starting to feel uneasy that I might not have the dignity befitting a vampire."_

As she'd grown closer to Shiki, she'd felt so worried. She was enjoying herself so much – but surely she wasn't _supposed_ to? She wasn't like humans, she _couldn't_ be like humans, but –

_"... Please Arcueid, get it straight now.  
It's true that you're selfish, you don't listen to other people, and you're full of problems.  
But, other than that, you're pretty normal. You're not broken, you're just like a normal girl.  
-So smile. If you keep making that expression, it'll make me feel bad."_

Shiki had rubbed his head and admitted that at the beginning he'd thought of her as a vampire first, as Arcueid second. But that hadn't lasted. The more time he spent with her, the more he'd begun to see her as a normal girl, as someone who wanted her time in the sunlight.

As Arcueid.

As Arc.

"_Get back, vampire. You had no right to stay by his side from the beginning."_

Those words had pierced her to her soul. Even beyond and deeper than the fact that she had almost killed Shiki a moment ago, there was the ultimate condemnation that she herself had never been able to put into words.

That she, born and bred as a living weapon, had never had any _right_ to enjoy living life as a human.

But Shiki had found her again. Even in the depths of her despair, he remained an anchor, though he did not know it. That night… he had waited in the park for her until it was almost daybreak. As she had stood there, watching, hardly daring to move any closer, she had barely understood the simple fact that-

Shiki had _wanted_ to be with her.

Not because of Roa or the town.

Not because of a sense of obligation to repay her for having killed her.

He had wanted to be with her because he liked her.

And it really was that simple.

And he had taught her to reach out and grasp happiness with her own two hands.

And that's why she loved him – would always love him. Because everything that she could be, everything that she had learned, everything that she had been able to enjoy, because her ability to be _herself_, had all come from him.

She loves being called 'Arc'.

* * *

As Shiki slowly walks up the path to his mansion, one hand clutching a bag of pastries, he fails to notice a person clothed in white behind him.

As Arcueid spotted Shiki, a delighted smile had crossed her face, and she had increased her pace to catch him. Once he gets within hearing distance, she raises her voice and shouts.

"SHIKIIIII!"

He hears her voice.

He turns to face her.

And he smiles.

* * *

I hope you liked it.

Next: Guilty


	19. Guilty

The World of the Moon

* * *

Nineteen: Guilty

So, back when I'd first gotten the idea of setting up a collection of oneshots centring around Arcueid and Shiki, this was actually one of the first ideas that came to mind. Funnily enough that didn't really get into play until today, several months later.

Regardless, I hope those of you reading this still enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

"Ta-dah!" Arcueid spread her arms wide open, her sweeping gesture seeming to encompass everything within the room. "Well, Shiki, what do you think?"

Shiki glanced around the brightly-lit hotel room, the place a monument to the sort of grand luxury that made the mansion he lived in seem plain in comparison.

"Is there a reason you got a room like this tonight?" he questioned as he settled himself down on the bed. "When you said you wanted to bring me out tonight, you were really vague on the details. I honestly didn't expect you to bring me to a hotel." _And I don't think Akiha will like me staying out overnight as well._

"Hehe…" Arc chuckled softly as she turned to face him. "So you don't remember what today is, Shiki?"

"Huh? Today is…" Shiki folded his arms and frowned as he tried to dredge up why this date would be important. Then his eyes widened. "It's the same date that-"

"That's right!" Arcueid nodded and laughed. "It's the anniversary of the day we first met, Shiki!" then she paused and shrugged. "Or, well, it's actually the second time we met. But the first time wasn't particularly pleasant."

Shiki laughed uncomfortably. "I guess that's true," he let his gaze sweep the hotel room once more. "So that's why you brought us here to this hotel room?"

"Uh-huh," her reply was distracted as she poked about the room, opening drawers and cupboards, doing a brief exploration of the area. "I thought it would make a nice throwback to that day, wouldn't it?"

"A throwback, huh…" Shiki adjusted the glasses on his nose and settled down on the bed. "But Arcueid… the last we were in a hotel… didn't exactly end well, did it?"

"Shikiii…" a petulant lilt entered Arcueid's voice. "Today's supposed to be happy! Don't think or talk about depressing things, okay?"

"Okay, okay," Shiki chuckled as he lay backwards, staring up at the ceiling. "So did you have anything in mind other than a hotel room when you invited me out?" not to say he didn't have a pretty good idea of how the night was going to end, but in between then and now?

Arcueid's beaming face appeared above him, along with a menu clutched in her hands. "A hotel room with really good room service!" she laughed as she handed the menu to Shiki. "Here, take a look and see what you want."

As Shiki began flipping through the menu, Arcueid headed off again, and in the background Shiki could hear her tinkering around with the tea set.

Several minutes later, both Shiki and Arcueid were tucking into their food as they watched some movie showing on the television. Shiki had opted for a simpler meal of soup and a salad. And as he ate, he reflected that Arcueid had been right – the hotel really _did_ have good room service. For her part, Arcueid had gone for broke and ordered half a dozen dishes, some local, some from various other nationalities that Shiki couldn't readily identify. As Shiki watched, Arcueid cut off a piece of fish and popped it into her mouth, chewing it with apparent relish before swallowing her food.

As they finished eating, Arcueid pushed the food cart away and leaned back against Shiki, her head resting on his shoulder as they continued to watch the movie. Almost subconsciously, Shiki found his hand reaching across to grasp hers. The two of them remained this way until the credits begin rolling, whereupon Arcueid turned to face him, her expression making her intention – and desires – plain for all to see.

"Shiki…" she whispered huskily as she nuzzled her head against his neck, the action sending shivers up his spine. "What say we take this to the bed?"

His response was to cup her cheek with his hands before drawing her into a long, heartfelt kiss.

The night was still young.

* * *

Shiki lay on the bed, pondering as he stared up at the ceiling.

The night was calm. He was not.

"_Today's supposed to be happy! Don't think or talk about depressing things, okay?"_

But if he did that, he'd just be pushing it away, wouldn't he? The truth of the matter.

He shifted his gaze to look at Arcueid's sleeping form. A picture of perfect tranquillity. As if the troubles and cares of the world simply could not be applied to her, and that she could remain in a cocoon of serene calmness forever.

She had looked like that back then, too. That day in the hotel room. That day when-

"Hey, Shiki."

A quiet voice. Red eyes stared out from barely-parted eyelids as she gives him a sleepy smile.

"What's wrong?"

That expression. That expression she was showing him now. One of complete, open trust.

He didn't deserve to be looked at like that.

"What do you mean, 'What's wrong'?"

"You've seemed troubled for a while now, Shiki. I thought maybe if I left it alone it would pass, but… it's been a few hours and it only seems like it's gotten worse."

"… Just… being in a hotel room like this," Shiki sighed and closed his eyes. "It… reminds me."

"About Nrvnsqr? I told you, Shiki, don't think about-"

"Not about him, Arcueid," he shook his head, cutting her off. After a moment of silence, he continued speaking. "When I first met you, and you brought me here to the hotel room… you went to sleep."

"Yeah… I was really tired out after everything that had happened to me."

"That's right. At that point you were at your most powerless… and you trusted me enough to go to sleep right then and there." _Me. The person who had killed her._

"That's true. I guess it was because after I talked to you in the alley I got the feeling that I could trust you no matter what."

"But you couldn't. You shouldn't have."

"Shiki?"

"While you were sleeping… I ran away. I abandoned you, even though I had agreed to help you, even though I knew that you were helpless at that point and relying on me."

Arcueid was silent.

"At that point," Shiki pressed on. "The only thing I could think about was how I had been roped into some sort of crazy situation I didn't understand and didn't want. So I left you alone, sleeping, with complete trust in me."

He turned his head to the side, unable to meet Arcueid's gaze.

"And even after I came back, I found out that you hadn't even considered the possibility that I had run away – you were just worried for me being out there on my own with Nrvnsqr's beasts still running about," he laughed, a quiet, strained sound in the darkness of the room. "So that's why. That's what I couldn't stop thinking about, Arcueid."

In some ways, it felt like a minor thing – Arcueid had forgiven him for far greater faults against her than that, chiefly his having murdered her, of course. But that had been out in the open, a fact both had acknowledged and decided to move past. This had been his own quiet, painful secret.

Until now.

And then he felt soft arms coming up around him, and Arcueid's gentle voice in his ear.

"Shiki… do you know what was the most important part of what you just said?"

"Ar… cueid?"

The slightest of pauses, and then, "You came back."

Without thinking, he turned back to face her, to look into her red eyes, at the soft smile that somehow bore traces of sadness.

"You said it yourself – you didn't know me, and I was wrong about thinking that you were someone who was a bloodthirsty killer. You were just an ordinary boy who got caught up in something he didn't understand, but you ultimately decided that you couldn't leave me be. So don't think for a moment that I'd blame you Shiki. I'm grateful for what you decided to do for me."

There was a pause before Arcueid closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath.

"I ran away too, Shiki. And I didn't come back either."

"You… ran away?" he blinked. That didn't sound familiar at all.

"After that night in the park. The night when you told me you loved me. At that point in time, that was the single happiest moment in my life. You'd given me so much happiness, and I repaid you by running away in the middle of the night," her gaze drifted away from him. "I wasn't strong enough to tell you face to face, and so I…"

He could see her shoulders trembling in the pale moonlight, and that made him irrationally upset, so he reached out a hand to seize her.

"But that was for my sake, wasn't it? You did it to protect me, so you… you don't have anything to apologize for, Arcueid."

"Yes, but that doesn't change the fact that I hurt you," she closed her eyes. "And in the end I needed you to help me again by killing Roa once and for all, so-"

"Arcueid, stop. No matter how things turned out in the end, what you did wasn't selfish. It wasn't like what I did. So… don't blame yourself. That's in the past now."

"It's in the past, is it? All right then," she opened her eyes again, and this time they twinkled with a gentle mirth. "I'll stop thinking about that if you promise to stop thinking about your guilt too."

An involuntary chuckle came from his throat as he nodded. "All right. I promise."

And then, smiling, Arcueid leaned over and drew him into another long kiss.

* * *

Just a heads up – I may or may not be able to get the next chapter out on time next week due to me being overseas and not being entirely sure about the conditions of the trip. I'll do my best regardless.

Thanks for reading. I would appreciate comments and reviews.

Next: Arcueid's Part Time Job AKA Arcueid Discovers Retail Hell


	20. Arcueid's Part Time Job

The World of the Moon

* * *

Twenty: Arcueid's Part-Time Job

Oof. Travel schedules really left me behind on updating this particular story.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Arcueid was wearing a silly hat.

Not that she didn't particularly like trying on new clothes, just to see how it looked on her, but this particular hat had the added quality of being uncomfortable in addition to being silly, and Arcueid was seriously contemplating taking the hat and tossing it where she would never have to wear it ever again.

Like the dumpster. Or the ocean. Either was good.

The big problem standing between her and doing so was that wearing that hat was apparently a vital part of the job she was currently holding (although _why_ this was the case Arcueid had thus far been unable to figure out), and so she was wearing it like everyone else in the store was.

She sighed. When she'd gotten a job after looking through a newspaper she'd been expecting it to be more like her time spent in the mansion as a maid, but she had clearly forgotten to take several things into account.

The first was that unlike the store she was in, she knew everyone at the mansion. Well, yes, some of her relationships there had been a little frosty (more accurately, _one_ of the people she knew there was frosty), but there was still an undercurrent of understanding between them. By contrast, all of her coworkers here were completely unfamiliar faces, and while _Arcueid_ certainly didn't mind the chance to make some new friends, most of them appeared uninterested in the idea, focusing mainly on doing work.

Second was that time spent in the mansion meant time spent in close proximity to Shiki – at least in the mornings and evenings when school wasn't keeping him. Now _that_ had been a fun part of the job. Plus the peeks Shiki had taken at the maid costume she'd worn when he'd thought he wasn't looking. That had been nice too.

But Shiki never visited this particular fast food joint, and she had serious doubts that he (or _anyone_) could possibly find the uniform she was wearing attractive. With a sigh, she tugged at the uncomfortable material.

Lastly was the fact that both Kohaku and Hisui were already used to running a mansion by themselves, and were thus prepared to cut her a lot of slack on the tasks assigned to her.

Now, though?

"Hey! New girl! Where're the fries?"

"I put them into the deep fryer already!" She called back.

It wasn't like any of the tasks were particularly _hard_. But they were repetitive, and menial, and _boring_. Cleaning the mansion had been different, it had almost been like exploring the aged house in its own way, but this? This was doing the same things over.

And over.

And over.

And over.

This was not fun. And Arcueid being who she was, she wasn't one for engaging in activities she did not find fun. She'd gathered that some of her coworkers were doing this because they needed a source of cash – _any_ source of cash, something that did not apply to the vampire princess.

Not to mention that seeing the hygiene habits of the people who prepared the food had caused Arcueid to seriously consider giving up eating burgers. At least from this particular chain.

Readjusting her ugly hat for the fifth time in the past ten minutes, Arcueid sighed. It had all seemed like such a simple idea when she had first started out. But that had been when she'd started. Now what appeared to be endless frustration stretched out before her.

"Oi, what are you standing about daydreaming in the kitchen for? Get back to work!" Arcueid barely heard the voice.

It wasn't like she was going to give up, however. One thing that Arcueid would state with pride was that she was most definitely not a quitter.

"I quit," she informed her boss, a bright smile on her face as she took the hat off.

Well, she was not a quitter _in one sense of the term_. She'd just made a poor choice in her initial job, after all! (Closing her eyes and pointing at a random section of the Part Time Jobs section of the newspaper was probably not the best way to make a selection, come to think of it.) She could still fulfil her goals! Just… not in Sunshine Burger.

Yes, definitely not.

As she stepped out into the back alley behind the store, Arcueid took the hat off and flung it carelessly into the air, not looking back as it landed perfectly in the dumpster.

She already felt happier.

* * *

"All right, Len," Arcueid nodded as she opened the newspaper. "That last job didn't go too well. But that just means I'll have to pick a better job next time!"

Len glanced up briefly from where she had been tucking into a box of chocolates before ambling over to look at the listings of available jobs.

"I guess if I want to pick a job I'd like, I should focus on what it was about my time as a maid that I liked," Arcueid cupped her chin thoughtfully.

Well, the first factor was obvious. She liked being close to Shiki. Unfortunately, she didn't think that any job that didn't involve being in the mansion would help her in that aspect. Well, maybe a job at his school, but that idea seemed strangely unappealing. After all, he would be in class the whole day, and that was almost as bad as him not being there at all.

Plus, most of the jobs there seemed to demand a sort of long-term investment, and well, Arcueid really wasn't in this for the long term.

"Well, that's out then," she murmured to Len. "What else?"

She liked meeting new people. Most of them were pretty funny, so it was usually worth taking the time to do so. So maybe those offers about a telemarketing deal?

"What do you think, Len?" Arcueid looked at her friend and familiar. "Making phone calls all day?"

"…"

"Yeah, you're right," Arcueid conceded with a sigh. "It'd probably be as repetitive as that burger job."

That was a problem with a lot of jobs, really. Arcueid didn't like regimentation and heavy scheduling at the best of times – and as far as she could tell, the people in charge didn't care about fluctuating moods or temper, which to Arcueids seemed a grievous oversight.

"Maybe I should get something with shorter hours?" looking over the newspaper again, Arcueid noted that a lot of the ads were about stores asking for extra help.

"Oh, yeah, it's coming close to the holiday season," Arcueid mused. She knew enough about the country to know that this was when a lot of the populace would spend their money on gift giving sprees. "I guess it's only logical that they'd want more help around this time of the year."

The more she thought about it, the more sense it made to Arcueid. She'd be able to help out in a store, and it would probably be a temporary thing for when the Christmas and New Year's buying rush wore down, so she wouldn't be staying there too long.

"Yes, it's decided!" she pumped a fist into the air. "I'll get a job at a supermarket!"

_This_ time was going to go well! She could feel it.

* * *

Three days later…

Ciel sighed as she elbowed her way past crowds of people throughout the store, heading for one aisle in particular.

"Figures," she muttered to herself as she turned into the produce aisle. "Does Seven understand the meaning of 'rationing'? No, of course she does not, and poof! Fifty dollars worth of carrots – gone in under a week. I swear… one of these days I'm going to cut her off, and then she'll _really_ be sorry."

She knew she shouldn't really be grumbling. She was the one who had promised Seven free flow of food for the month, after all. The more she thought about it, the more she'd regretted the decision, but that was one that had been made under impulse, and the knowledge that Christmastime was approaching.

"Why do I do things I know I'll regret later?" it had been difficult enough to find a store that sold carrots cheaply, and aside from the added strain that Seven's voracious appetite was placing on her budget, all this was cutting into one of her more important jobs for the week – finding Tohno-kun a nice Christmas present.

Well, it couldn't be helped. At least this shopping mall had several good gift store, so she'd be able to pay them a visit once she'd finished her grocery shopping. Notwithstanding that they'd be packed to the brim with others doing their Christmas shopping as well…

"Ah, here we are," Ciel muttered as she caught sight of the carrot bin. "Let's see… Seven isn't picky, so-"

A sudden, overwhelming feeling of menace flooded her senses, and Ciel had a Black Key summoned and in her hand before she knew it. An immense, oppressive aura surged through the store, and all around her, people started collapsing like flies. Ciel's eyes darted around wildly. What was- where was this immense hostility coming from?

Abandoning her shopping bag, Ciel quickly darted through the aisles, eyes flickering with a mixture of relief and worry as she noted that most of the people there were only unconscious. That was good – for a given definition of good, anyway, but as long as whoever wasn't doing this hadn't escalated it to a fatal nature, there was still a chance to reverse the-

Abruptly she rounded the corner, and her eyes nearly bulged out of her skull at the sight before her.

Arcueid Brunestud, Princess of the True Ancestors, stood behind a cashier counter in the store's uniform, with one outstretched hand grabbing a struggling human by the neck, lifting him a foot or so above the ground. Her crimson shone with the light of insanity, no traces of Arcueid's usual cheeriness on her face.

"For the final time," Arcueid was saying in a voice that was calm – too calm. "The coupon very clearly states that it is only valid until the end of November. You hysterical behaviour will not alter that in the least. Do you understand me, human?"

"Ar – Arcueid!" Ciel sputtered as she realized the human she was holding was starting to turn blue.

Arcueid slowly turned her head to regard her, her eyes cold and harsh. "Ah, the Church Executor," she said in a disinterested tone. "I was not aware you were in the vicinity."

"W – what are you doing?"

"Currently? I am engaged in explaining the finer points of proper business transactions with this seemingly-illiterate specimen," a brief frown quirked Arcueid's face. "Although I wonder if perhaps I should simply make an example of him?"

"What?" Ciel all but sputtered. This wasn't like Arcueid at all.

"I can see no value in preserving this individual's life. What about you, Executor? Can you offer me a single reason for his continued existence?"

"Um… uh," dumbstruck by the scene in front of her, Ciel hastily blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Tohno-kun wouldn't like it if you did that!"

"Hm? Oh, that's true!" Arcueid blinked and released the man from her grasp, dropping him to the floor in an ungainly heap. Then she shook her head and scratched her hair as she stared at the unconscious people all around her. "Wow, what just happened here? The last thing I remember was being really annoyed at some guy and…" she trailed off. "Oh, hey, Ciel! I didn't know you were here! What just happened?"

"…" forsaking words, Ciel pinched the bridge of her nose, shook her head, and let out a long sigh. "Just… come with me. And change out of that uniform before someone spots you leaving a store full of unconscious people."

* * *

The two of them sat side-by-side on a bench, neither looking at each other. Arcueid clutched a soft drink in her hands, taking the occasional sip, while Ciel merely looked annoyed.

"An entire store full of people, knocked out. There isn't going to be an easy way to cover this up, you know," the blunette grumbled. "Why did you even sign up for something like that? I, or Tohno-kun, or _anyone_, could have told you that you'd hate it."

"Whatever. I wanted to try it for myself," Arcueid muttered right back. "And don't you dare tell Shiki about any of this."

"I'm not finished," Ciel continued. Getting Arcueid out of trouble had wasted even more of her valuable time, and she needed an outlet for her grumpiness. "What did you even get a job like that for? You have more money than you could ever need."

"That's private," Arcueid shot back. "And anyway, I don't need to tell you anything, Ciel. I can handle this on my own."

"…" Ciel stared at her oddly. "You're really committed to this thing about getting a job, are you?"

"Well, why not?" Arcueid shrugged. "After all, when I start something, I don't quit until I've gotten what I want!"

With a sigh, Ciel, dug into her pocket and handed her a slip of paper. Arcueid stared at it, a questioning look in her eyes.

"This is…?"

"You know Café Ahnenerbe, right? They're hiring right now," Ciel stated as she passed the flyer to Arcueid. "The people there are pretty easygoing, and the Café is almost never busy, so it should be as good a fit as any for someone like you."

"Wow, thanks, Ciel!" Arcueid beamed at her. "I didn't think you'd be willing to help me out like this!"

"Anything that gets you out of my hair for a few days," she said as she stood from the bench. "Try not to blow up the place, all right? I like eating there every once in a while."

* * *

"Oh, an applicant!" the green-haired girl at the counter nodded at Arcueid. "We've had almost no one coming in, so I was starting to think we'd be left shorthanded for the next few weeks."

"Hello!" Arcueid extended her hand to the girl. "I'm Arcueid Brunestud."

"Yeah, I'm Chikagi Katsuragi, and the girl in the kitchen is Hibiki Hibino. We're pretty much the only permanent staff at the moment. Even for a place as quiet as the Café, it's a little short, so the manager decided to get a little extra help."

"So I've got the job?" Arcueid smiled at her.

"Yeah, sure, why not," Chikagi cupped her chin. "I take it you're not familiar in the kitchen?"

"I know a few basic dishes, but that's about it."

"Guessed as much. Well, Hibiki's as good a cook as they come so we're clear on that front anyway," Chikagi nodded. "But we're lacking a waitress. Technically my job is to be the bartender, but lately I've had to double up as a waitress because there's no one else to do the job. It shouldn't need too much expertise either. Is starting tomorrow fine with you?"

"No problem!" Arcueid nodded. "I'll be the best waitress ever, just you wait and see!"

* * *

"Hmm, hmm, hmm…" Arcueid hummed tunelessly to herself as she wiped the tables around the café. Chikagi and Ciel had been right – the place didn't see very many customers at all. It had been like that the last time Arcueid had visited too. And so the pace in here was pretty relaxed. Well, that suited Arcueid just fine. And on that note –

"Hey, Arcueid-san, Chika-chan?" Hibiki appeared from the kitchen, clutching a cold drink in both hands. "I thought you guys could use some refreshments!"

"Wow! Thanks, Hibiki!"

"Yeah, thanks!"

The two girls who worked here were really friendly. Arcueid smiled. This was nothing like the fast food chain or retail. This place was _nice_!

A jingling from the doorway indicated the entry of a customer – the first of the day. Arcueid turned to face the entrance, a bright smile on her face.

"Welcome to Ahnen-!" her eyes widened in shock before narrowing in anger. "Nrnvsqr Chaos!"

The Dead Apostle stood in the doorway, almost filling the entirety of it with his imposing frame. At the sound of his name, he slowly turned his head to regard the True Ancestor, his eyes burning like fiery coals in his face. His heavy coat fluttered slightly from the breeze outside, allowing glimpses of the black mud that comprised the majority of his body.

"Get back!" Arcueid yelled at Hibiki and Chikagi as she moved to place herself between them and the Dead Apostle. Getting into a battle stance, she took a deep breath, waiting for her enemy to make the first move.

Nrvnsqr, however, simply shook his head once.

"To think I would see the Princess of the True Ancestors in such a place as this," he cocked his head to one side. "And even then, she does not recognize the nature of this café, and its rules?"

"… Rules?" Arcueid repeated.

"He's right, Arcueid-san," Hibiki said softly from behind her. "Ahnenerbe is neutral territory for everyone. All grudges and fights have to be left at the door."

"What?" Arcueid sputtered. "You'd serve someone like him?"

"We've served everything conceivable, you know," Chikagi said from her place behind the bar. "Dead Apostles, Magi, Church agents, Servants, aliens, computer programs. If they make their way here, they're customers. All grudges at the door."

"Indeed," a thin smile now split the lips of Nrvnsqr Chaos. "Do not forget that in your current state you do not possess the power to kill me anyway."

"… Rrrgh," Arcueid growled. Nevertheless, she relaxed, fractionally. "You're just here for food, then."

"Indeed," the Dead Apostle nodded once as he stepped inside. "Indeed, the cuisine of this place is one of the few things that can substitute for a Dead Apostle's need for blood."

"…" Arcueid sighed and stared down at the notebook in her hand. "Well then," she mumbled numbly. "What do you want?"

Nrvnsqr nodded once as he looked through the menu. "I would like twenty servings of the House Special Steak, all of it well done. Fifteen servings of the lamb chop, seventeen servings of the club sandwich, eight servings of-" he paused, blinked twice. "No, I shall amend that. Twenty six servings of the steak, seventeen servings of the lamb chop, twelve servings of the club sandwich, nine servings of the spaghetti bolognaise, fifty-two servings of the pomme frites, and-" he paused again. "All of you, make up your minds." He snapped, with the hint of a growl in his voice.

Notebook still in hand, Arcueid heaved a large sigh.

* * *

After Nrvnsqr had eaten and departed (cleaning out most of the food stock in the kitchen in the process), Arcueid sat back in a chair by the bar.

"This sort of thing happen often?"

"Kind of," Chikagi nodded as she polished a glass. "Ahnenerbe is special. I'd have thought a True Ancestor like you would have been able to realize it quickly, though."

"I wasn't really paying attention."

"Well, anyway, you'll be seeing a lot more like this. They're our main customer base, in fact," just then, the doorbell chimed again. "Speak of the devil."

"Isn't it still a little early for lunch, Saber?" a male voice as a red-headed youth stepped into the café, closely followed by a young blonde woman.

"It is imperative that you always have enough food to keep yourself energized," the woman replied calmly as she walked towards a table and settled herself down.

"Hello, welcome to Ahnenerbe!" Arcueid smiled brightly as she headed over to them, handing over a couple of menus. "Take your time and call me over whenever you're ready to order!"

"I will, thank you," the girl – Saber, apparently, based on what the boy had called her – accepted the menu with a smile and a nod. Cracking open the menu, her eyes widened appreciatively. "Ah, everything in here always looks so good, I have a hard time deciding."

"Does it?" a new, imperious voice cut in from the doorway. "This shoddy establishment appears to me to be entirely unworthy of my presence!"

Both the boy and Saber's head snapped up at the sound of the voice, and Arcueid turned to the doorway to see a blond man staring at Saber with a smirk on his face.

"Gilgamesh!" the boy sputtered. "What are you doing here?"

"What indeed?" the man laughed as he stepped forward. "I came to look over and see how my subjects were doing, and who did I see but Saber stepping into this poor excuse for a café. Why, it's such an eyesore it's a miracle that I didn't decided to simply demolish it when I first laid eyes on it."

"Gilgamesh?" Arcueid scratched at her head. "I think I've heard that name before…"

"You will not sully the cuisine of this place with your insults," Saber's voice was controlled, but even Arcueid could tell that the girl was angry. "The food in here is simply superb, and I will not hear otherwise."

"Is it now? Let me see what has Saber so enamoured, then!" plucking the menu from the boy's hand (who gave a surprised start before glaring at him), Gilgamesh scanned the menu.

"Return Shirou's menu to him!" Saber's voice cracked the air.

"Everyone, please calm down!" Chikagi said as she appeared at Arcueid's side like magic. "There're plenty of menus for everyone!" and as she said so, she handed Shirou another one.

"Ha!" Gilgamesh finally let out another laugh. "I see nothing in here worthy of consideration. Certainly not for a King of Heroes such as myself!"

"I find their roast beef to be particularly delicious," Saber said tightly, a glare etched on her face as she stared at the offending party.

"That? Pah! Nothing more than a pale imitation! Why would I rely on some reproduced swill when **I**-" a ripple of golden light appeared in the air as Gilgamesh reached into it, drawing a golden platter into existence as he did so. "Already have in my possession _the Original Roast Beef_!"

Complete silence descended upon everyone present as they stared at the dish Gilgamesh held in his hand. Finally, Shirou cleared his throat.

"Uh… how long has that been in there?"

"Are you worried about the meat spoiling?" Gilgamesh waved his hand dismissively. "Fear not, mongrel! For my Gate of Babylon also doubles as the Original Food Preservation Locker!"

"… Uh, yeah," Saber blinked. "I think I'll stick with the food provided by the café, thanks."

"Oh yeah!" Arcueid burst out. "I remember now! The other True Ancestors told me about you! You're that legendary guy who stockpiled all the weapons in the world, aren't you?"

"Ah, it appears some here know of my legend!" Gilgamesh's smile grew wider. "Indeed, it is I, Gilgamesh! Lord of Uruk, the King of Heroes! Feel free to grovel before me!"

"You're from Uruk, huh," Arcueid cupped her chin. "That's near where modern Iraq is, isn't it? Well, today's your lucky day!"

"Indeed? And why should today be any luckier than any other?"

"Because I'm going to give you the chance to see your homeland again." And Arcueid stepped forward to seize Gilgamesh by the collar.

"Hey! **UNHAND ME!** What do you think you're-" In one smooth motion, Arcueid tossed him into the air, leaving a sizable hole in the roof of the café and a figure, rapidly vanishing into the distance along with a scream of rage and frustration.

"You'll get there sometime tomorrow!" Arcueid called after the shrinking dot before turning back to the silent Saber and Shirou. "Ahem. May I take your order, sir and madam?"

* * *

"You've been getting used to the place over the past week, haven't you, Arcueid-san?" Hibiki asked as she settled herself at a table, taking a sip from a cup of coffee as she did so.

"Yeah!" Arcueid nodded enthusiastically. "Once I got the hang of things, everything became a breeze!"

"I'm surprised you were able to foot the money to get the roof repaired so quickly," Hibiki remarked as she stared up at the ceiling. "If you were really that rich, why did you even need a part-time job at this place?"

"Oh, that's private," Arcueid dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "And does it really matter?"

"I guess not," Hibiki smiled. "Keep up the good work, Arcueid-san!"

"-looks like a good place to take a break," a voice came from behind them, and Arcueid turned to see three more people step into the café.

"Sion!" her face lit up into a smile. "It's been a while!"

"True Ancestor?" Sion looked over at her. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"And you're with Satsuki!" Arcueid's smile widened as she caught sight of her friend standing behind the Alchemist. "I didn't know you two knew each other!"

"Oh, you've met?" she turned to regard Satsuki, who waved nervously at Arcueid. "I wasn't aware of that."

"Uh-huh," Arcueid nodded enthusiastically. "I nearly killed her, but then Len stopped me and told me she doesn't drink blood from humans, so it turned out all right!"

"… Yes, that it did," Sion glanced at Satsuki, who appeared distinctly uncomfortable about being reminded about what had happened. "Are you working here?"

"Yeah, part-time. You'll want a seat?"

"Yes, preferably away from the windows."

After they had settled down, Arcueid clapped Satsuki on the back. "So, how are things?"

"Oh, same old," Satsuki shrugged. "Living in the back streets of Misaki City. Trying to deal with sunlight. Getting into the occasional scrap with Tohno-kun's scary other side."

"And waiting for Riesbyfe, who is, as usual, late," Sion grumbled.

"We really should rent an apartment or something, Sion," Satsuki interjected. "Didn't Tohno-kun's sister offer to put you up in her mansion?"

"Yes, but I don't want to be freeloading on her," the alchemist shrugged. "Besides, I thought you didn't want the potential of running into Shiki like this?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"I didn't know you knew Shiki, Satsuki!" Arcueid blinked.

"You know Shiki too?" Satsuki's eyes widened in surprise. "B – but please don't tell him about me, Arcueid-san!"

"Huh? That's an odd request, but, if you say so…" Arcueid shrugged. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot! Here are the menus, sorry about that!"

Leaving Sion and Satsuki to choose their food, Arcueid turned around to regard the next customer as the bell jingled again.

"So this is the place Nrvnsqr recommended," Roa mused as he looked over the café. "It seems a little plain, but-"

Arcueid's punch connected solidly with his jaw, sending him flying back through the doorway, and several dozen metres down the street outside. Dusting her hands off, Arcueid returned to take Sion and Satsuki's order.

* * *

_THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! PURE DISCRIMINATION!_

"No, it's really not," Arcueid said.

_IF YOU CAN WORK HERE AS A WAITER, THERE IS NO REASON WHY I SHOULD NOT BE LET IN!_

"Look," Arcueid sighed. "ORT. I've told you this already. The fact is-"

_THE FACT IS THAT TYPE-VENUS IS SITTING RIGHT __**THERE**__ PLAYING HER GUITAR – FOR A GIVEN DEFINITION OF 'PLAYING' – AND YOU, ARCHETYPE-EARTH, ARE A WAITER HERE, AND YET FOR SOME REASON MERCURY IS DENIED ACCESS?_

"The reason is that you are _forty metres tall_."

_A MERE TECHNICALITY. A SIMPLE WARPING OF THIS REALM'S LAWS OF PHYSICS, AND-_

"You!" with a roar, Gilgamesh burst into view, looking a little worse for the wear after his impromptu trip halfway across the world. "How _dare_ you treat me like that, mongrel! Prepare to taste my wrath! Gate of-"

_GO AWAY, HUMAN. I HAVE THINGS TO DISCUSS._ A gigantic leg flicked out, catching Gilgamesh head on and sending him flying again.

"Wow," Arcueid said after a moment's calculation. "He gets to visit America this time! I want to take trips around the world too!"

"Tell you what," Chikagi said from beside Arcueid. "Take a… um, seat, outside! Arcueid-san will come out and take your order and bring your food to you! It's nice to dine al fresco once in a while, isn't it?"

_... THAT IS ACCEPTABLE. PERHAPS I SHALL SPARE YOU WHEN THE TIME COMES TO ELIMINATE ALL HUMANITY. _And ORT ambled away slightly to wait.

"Crisis averted," Chikagi muttered as she wiped her forehead. "Not as bad as the last time, though."

"Last time?" Arcueid said as she collected a menu to bring out to the giant creature.

"Type Jupiter," Chikagi muttered.

"Ooooh…"

* * *

Shiki sat up in bed, staring absentmindedly out the window.

_I wonder where Arcueid is. I haven't seen her for a couple of weeks. That's really not like her._

Well, he was certain she'd show up again sooner or later. Fumbling for his glasses, Shiki quickly put them on and stood to leave the room.

And was tacked from behind to the floor from a white blur. "SHIKI! It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Arcueid…" Shiki groaned. "Please, get off me."

"You really need to learn to brace yourself better, Shiki. I didn't even hit you that hard."

"Maybe you could learn not to tackle people from the back instead?" reaching up to adjust his glasses, Shiki sighed. "How have you been? Ciel told me you were working part-time jobs, but she didn't know why. How was it, by the way?"

"Had some ups, had some downs," Arcueid beamed. "I'm still employed, actually, but the schedule for this week is pretty clear, so I came down to spend the day with you!"

"Oh…" Shiki rubbed the back of his head. "Why did you start looking for part-time jobs, anyway? You always have more money than you need, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I thought it would be more meaningful if I bought it with money I earned instead of the gold just lying around."

"What would be more meaningful?"

"This," bringing her hand up, Arcueid revealed a brightly-wrapped bundle that she presented to Shiki. "Happy Birthday, Shiki!"

"…" Shiki paused and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Arcueid?"

"Yes?"

"My birthday was two months ago."

* * *

I'll be doing a schedule of accelerated updates until I've caught up for missing pretty much the entire month of December. If anyone asks why, I blame assorted things like travelling and Steam sales.

Hope you enjoyed this.

Next: Almost Heaven


	21. Almost Heaven

The World of the Moon

* * *

Twenty One: Almost Heaven

Nothing much to say here. Hope it's an enjoyable read.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Shiki Tohno opened his eyes, staring up at his bedroom for the last time.

Taking a deep breath, he sat up in bed. Hisui hadn't come in yet, so it had to be before seven, and a quick glance at his bedside clock confirmed this. He didn't usually wake up this early, but then again this wasn't a usual day at all.

Putting on his glasses, he glanced outside the window at the pale sunlight, noting absently that the clouds were thicker than normal – enough so that the rays of the sun cast a cold light through his room. Under the pale glow, everything seemed more… lonely, somehow.

Just then, the door creaked open, and Hisui stepped into the room, a slight widening of her eyes the only indication that she was surprised to see him up.

"Shiki-sama… you've woken already?"

"I'd just gotten up, as a matter of fact," he nodded once, giving her a slight smile. "It wouldn't do to wake up late today of all days, would it?"

Hisui didn't reply, merely bowing her head low so that the fringe of her hair covered her eyes.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Shiki threw back the covers on his bed, sighing as he stood up – by now, the rush of dizziness was an all-too familiar feeling, and he instinctively steadied himself against the bedside table.

"Shiki-sama," Hisui moved to his side, offering her arm to support him, and with a grateful nod, Shiki leaned over, letting her take some of his weight. After a moment, Shiki drew in a deep breath of air.

"I'm all right now, Hisui."

"If you say so, Shiki-sama," stepping away, she looked at him again, not hiding the worry in her eyes. "I'll be waiting downstairs, then."

And, bowing once more, she turned to depart the room.

Just before Shiki left, he turned to regard the room as well – for what would probably be the last time.

It was almost empty. It had been like that when he had first arrived, and come to think of it, he'd never really settled in that much – it wasn't like he had that much personal stuff, after all. And now, here he was, departing it again, leaving nothing behind.

Shaking his head once, he closed the door to the room behind him.

* * *

Akiha was already at the dining table, as usual. However, unlike other mornings, the food Kohaku had prepared and set in front of her was virtually untouched. As Shiki watched unnoticed, Akiha picked up her fork and began twirling it around idly, obviously lost in thought and contemplation.

It was at that moment that Kohaku emerged from the kitchen.

"Oh, Shiki-san!" for the briefest of moments, Kohaku's eternally cheery smile faltered, then it was back there, as bright as ever. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Nii-san?" Akiha sat up in her chair, looking at him. "You're… here…" her words trailed off as she stared at the ground.

"Just wait a few minutes, and I'll have breakfast ready for you!" Kohaku promised before ducking back into kitchen, leaving Shiki to settle himself down on the table opposite Akiha.

There was a long silence before the head of the Tohno family broke it with a question.

"You've finished all your preparations?" she asked in a quiet voice. Shiki nodded before he realized that she hadn't raised her gaze from her food.

"Yes," he answered out loud. "Not that there was really all that much to do in the first place." Most of the standard stuff that came with the hassle of moving didn't really apply here – no need for passports, arranging accommodation, or anything of the sort. Just his clothes and personal effects.

"I see. That's good, then." The expression on his sister's face belied her words as Kohaku entered the room, carrying a tray packed with food.

"Breakfast is ready, Shiki-san!"

"Whoa, Kohaku!" Shiki sputtered as he stared at the small mountain of food piled in front of him. "There's no way I can eat that much!"

"You should try!" Kohaku wagged her finger at him. "After all, this will be your last meal in the Tohno mansion! I have to make sure to send you off properly!"

That was true, at least. And yet-

"It's not like I'm never coming back here, Kohaku," Shiki said even as he picked his fork up and began to attack the pile of food in front of him. "I'll visit often."

"It's not the same, Nii-san," Akiha said softly. "It just won't be the same."

A quiet descended upon the four of them – soon five as Hisui emerged from the study to stand dutifully behind her master as he finished his meal – or as much of it as he could.

* * *

Brother and sister sat in the living room, not talking or doing anything, just waiting next to each other for what they knew would be coming soon. Akiha technically had work to do, but Shiki knew that it didn't make any difference to his sister.

And so the two of them sat, listening to the steady tick-tock of the grandfather clock as the minutes slipped by.

Suddenly, the sound of someone knocking on the front door. Akiha straightened up, blinked, and swallowed.

"Kohaku, would you get the door, please?"

"Of course," with a bow, Kohaku turned and left for the lobby, leaving Shiki and Akiha alone once more.

The sound of the door being unlocked and opened – a soft greeting, and then the sound of footsteps approaching the living room.

"Good morning, Little Sister!"

Akiha raised her head to look at her, her expression carefully neutral. "Good morning, Arcueid." She said softly.

"Morning, Shiki," Arcueid's smile was warm, but it lacked her usual exuberance. Well, even Shiki himself wasn't sure if this was a happy occasion, so perhaps Arcueid didn't really know either. "Are you ready?"

Shiki considered the question carefully. A new chapter in his life was about to begin… and not for the first time, Shiki thought of what he would leave behind in doing so.

"I don't know." He finally answered.

Arcueid nodded once, a rare thoughtful expression crossing over her face. "Shiki…"

"It'll be fine, Arcueid," he smiled gamely at her. "We made that decision together, didn't we?" he paused as he glanced at Akiha out of the corner of his eye. "All of us."

"That's right," Akiha continued in her quiet, detached voice, as if she were trying to not let it show how much all of this affected her. "This is for the best, Nii-san. This way, you won't…" she drew in a deep breath. "This way, you won't die."

_At least, not quite so soon._

"I'll get my things, then," Shiki said after a brief moment of silence.

* * *

Arcueid's eyes didn't miss the slight wince on Shiki's face as he pulled himself to his feet – he had been suffering bouts of dizziness more and more often lately, and his stamina was fading fast. Amongst most it might simply have been dismissed as not being as fit as before, but those close to Shiki knew the truth.

His life energy was simply running out. In between having only half that of a normal human's, the repeated strain that using his eyes placed on him had taken his toll – and Arcueid knew that if he carried on like this, it wouldn't be very long at all before his body gave out altogether.

Closing her eyes, she resisted the urge to let out a sigh.

"Arcueid."

She looked up to see Akiha staring at her intently.

"Yes, Little Sister?"

Another awkward pause between the both of them before the black-haired woman drew in a deep breath.

"Please take care of Nii-san."

Arcueid sat silent for a moment, looking at her. In some sense, she almost felt insulted that Akiha would even feel the need to tell her something like that. Didn't she know that Arcueid cared as much as she did for Shiki, if not even more?

But that feeling passed. More than a simple request, this was ultimately a statement of acknowledgment; that from now on Arcueid would be Shiki's primary – almost sole – provider, and that she was willing to accept it as such.

As much as she could, Akiha Tohno was giving up her brother to Arcueid.

And so she smiled and nodded once.

"I promise."

And from behind them came the clatter of footsteps as Shiki returned to the living room, two heavy bags in hand.

* * *

They had lined up in the hallway of the lobby, staring silently at Shiki, and suddenly he found that he simply didn't know what to say. He remembered what he'd told Kohaku earlier – that he would visit as often as he could, but as Akiha had said, that wasn't the same.

In a few minutes, everything would be different, perhaps forever.

He stepped forward towards Kohaku, the closest of the girls.

"Did you remember to pack warm clothing, Shiki-san?" she smiled at him. "It gets really cold in the mountains, you know."

"I know. Thanks for everything, Kohaku," he paused, unsure of what to say. "Please take care of Akiha for me, okay? I… I just get the feeling that she'll need all the support she can get."

"Yes, leave it to me, Shiki-san," the maid's smile never wavered. "I care about Akiha-sama too, you know."

"Yeah, I know…"

A brief silence, then Kohaku sighed and shook her head once.

"When I was young, I watched you look at me through the window before you walked away. And now I'm doing that again."

"Kohaku?"

"It's different now, though," she brought her hands together, a tiny chuckle escaping her lips. "You came close to me for a while, Shiki-san. And even if you leave now, I'm not alone anymore. It'll be fine, Shiki-san."

He smiled and nodded at her. "Good bye, Kohaku."

"Take care, Shiki-san."

Kohaku stepped slightly to the side, letting Shiki see Hisui, who was standing quietly, arms clasped together in front of her.

"Hisui, thank you for everything," Shiki finally said softly. "You've always looked after me ever since I came to the mansion. I'm really grateful."

"No, Shiki-sama," Hisui whispered, not looking him in the eye. "That was my duty."

Another expectant pause, before Hisui spoke up again. "Shiki-sama? Have you thought about… whether I should go with you?"

"Yes, I have," Shiki took a deep breath. "But Akiha will need you more than I will, won't she?"

"That is… that's true…" Hisui's bowed her head low. "I… Shiki-sama, when you came back to the mansion, I'd believed that you would remain here forever. That was always foolish of me, wasn't it?"

"No, it wasn't," Shiki shook his head once. "But… everything changes in the end, doesn't it?'

"Yes," Hisui nodded one more time. "Yes, I suppose it does, Shiki-sama," she swallowed, audibly. "Good bye."

"Good bye, Hisui."

And then finally, standing by the doorway, was Akiha. Shiki stood in front of her, once again feeling a sense of awkwardness wash over him. What was the right thing to do? What was the right thing to say?

"Akiha, I-" He was cut off as he felt arms wrapping around his body, Akiha burying her head into her shoulder.

"Nii-san…" her voice was soft.

"Aki… ha?"

"Nii-san," she repeated, and Shiki could feel her body shivering as she pressed herself closer to him. "Promise me… promise me I'll see you again. No matter what."

Slowly, Shiki brought his arms up to embrace Akiha as well.

"I promise, Akiha," Shiki said softly. "I'll come back to see you again. No matter what."

A long moment of silence, and then Akiha abruptly broke their embrace, taking a single step away from Shiki. A hasty rubbing at her eyes, and she nodded once to him.

"Well, Nii-san. Don't waste time. Don't you know it's rude to keep others waiting?"

Shiki almost smiled.

And then stepping out of the mansion into the sunlight, he saw Arcueid leaning against a stone ornament, staring idly at the garden. At the sound of Shiki's footsteps, she got to her feet and turned to face him.

"All done, Shiki?"

He nodded once.

"Don't look so sad, Shiki," Arcueid said as she stepped closer to him. "You'll make me feel bad too! Don't worry – as long as I'm around, you can pop back here whenever you want."

"I know," Shiki said. "But… everything still feels different."

"… Do you want to change your mind?" Arcueid asked after a brief silence.

"No," Shiki shook his head once. "Under other circumstances, maybe. But if that time will be by your side… then it'll be worth it."

Arcueid's smile grew wider. "Flatterer," she said softly before reaching out to grasp his hand in her own. "Don't move too much, Shiki. This will take a moment or two."

Shiki drew in a deep breath –

And the world around him dissolved, changing from the sunny gardens of the Tohno Mansion into an endless field of silver flowers under a cloudy, grey sky. To his left was a lake, a vast expanse of crystal clear water, and ahead of him was a vast, imposing bastion – the Millennium Castle.

At his side, Arcueid took in a deep breath, as if she wanted to inhale the very essence of the place. "Welcome home, Shiki." Her voice was soft.

"… Home, huh?" Shiki said softly as he began to walk forward, his legs carrying him directly ahead towards the vast bastion. "It looks different from the last time I saw it."

"Well, the last time I was asleep," Arcueid replied. "Now though, we'll can be together, won't we?"

_Together._ The word resonated in his mind as he continued walking.

A gentle breeze whipped up around them as they continued walking towards the castle, rustling the flowers and carrying the sweet scent on the wind to Shiki. He breathed deeply, feeling refreshed even as he did so.

The air here was pure, untouched and unsullied by humans. Here, a realm where time seemed to have no meaning. A world empty and silent, and yet filled with life.

A place of rest for Shiki Tohno.

Arcueid had been the one to come up with the idea, sitting by his side in the hospital after he had come to again. He supposed that suddenly collapsing in the middle of the day must have been alarming to her.

She had been unusually withdrawn after that incident, sitting to side and waiting quietly as Akiha and Hisui and Kohaku and hurried in, looking over him to make sure he was okay. It was only after they had left that Arcueid had walked over and sat by his side.

"You've been getting worse lately, Shiki." That statement had not been a question.

"I'll be fine," he smiled weakly. They both knew that his display of bravado was just that, and that he was burning through the very end of his sharply limited lifespan. Even simple acts like walking across town had been taxing him lately, and now his latest collapse…

Silence descended once more upon the two of them. One look at Arcueid let Shiki know that she was troubled, and that she was trying to decide something in her mind.

"Arcueid?" He prompted after a moment.

Arcueid raised her head to look at Shiki, worry in her eyes. "Shiki, what if there was… what if there was a way to help you recover?"

"Huh?"

And so here he was, standing in the endless field, staring at a moon far too large to be natural.

"Shiki? Anything the matter?" Arcueid asked as she walked up behind him.

"No, just… thinking," he replied. "I don't think I've gotten fully used to the idea of living here yet."

She nodded once. "Honestly, everything feels a little unfamiliar to me right now, too," she paused. "By the way, I got your room set up already. Do you want to go take a look at it?"

He returned her nod. "I might as well."

Together, they entered the depths of the ancient castle.

* * *

Shiki's eyes snapped open abruptly and he sat up in the bed. A quick glance around the room revealed nothing that would have been the obvious source of waking him up.

He hadn't expected to be able to fall asleep so quickly, but he had been tired – more than he'd realized.

From the window of his new room, moonlight poured in, a shining ray of silver-blue illuminating the far wall of the room. For some unknown reason he found himself climbing out of bed, walking slowly over to the window and looking outside.

The lonely, desolate beauty of the fields surrounding the Millennium Castle was even more breathtaking under the light of the moon, and for an endless moment Shiki simply stood there, his breath taken away by the sight.

And then, after a long moment, he noticed movement on the fields far below him, and his attention was drawn to Arcueid, far below him, walking slowly through the fields. Maybe it was simply a quirk of the light, but at that moment, she seemed… ethereal. A divine being, one beyond the reach of mere humans.

In fact, the entire place appeared different, radiating a presence that Shiki had never really felt before and couldn't understand. In some ways, it was almost like he was not only in a different part of the world, but a different world altogether.

For a brief, single moment, Shiki could almost believe that this place was paradise on earth.

Almost. Because regardless of whatever Shiki said, he and Arcueid both knew that there was more to Shiki's life than just the two of them, that while this was the only thing that could be done for him, it had still made a hole in his life that would not mend easily.

But still.

For now.

He could gaze down upon a lonely figure bathed in silver moonlight, and forget that this was merely almost heaven.

* * *

I wanted to try on a Shiki/Arcueid fic that didn't actually focus all that much on Shiki/Arcueid, if that makes any sense.

I hope you all enjoyed it.

Next: Happy Birthday, Arcueid


	22. Happy Birthday, Arcueid

The World of the Moon

* * *

Twenty Two: Happy Birthday, Arcueid

This was _supposed_ to have been written to coincide with the Christmas Day weekend before my travels shot my updates to hell.

Merry belated Christmas greetings!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Christmas Eve found Shiki out in the streets of Misaki City, hands tucked firmly in his pockets, jacket completely buttoned up, and scarf wrapped firmly around his neck. It wasn't as if he'd _wanted_ to be this ridiculously overdressed, but Akiha had insisted, citing that colder environments would be bad for his health.

It wasn't like he would be running out in the open for the whole day or something – he was just here to get a present for Arcueid.

Christmas was the usual gift-giving season amongst the Japanese, of course, but even more than that, it was Arcueid's birthday.

Or at least, the date she had chosen to be her birthday after, something she had shown up to announce to the Tohno household a while back. It hadn't really occurred to Shiki before, but it was true that she wouldn't remember her actual date of birth eight hundred years ago. It hadn't been the sort of thing she would have paid any attention to back then.

But just because she had appropriated the birthday on a whim didn't make it any less meaningful. After all, the point of a birthday celebration was simply singling out someone for a day, celebrating their existence and life. In that aspect, the date didn't really matter.

Well, except for the practical problem of it also falling in the biggest gift-giving (and therefore gift-_buying_) season of the year. Which meant that everywhere he looked, the stores were packed to the brim with people doing last minute shopping like him.

A part of him acknowledged it as being his own fault for leaving the shopping for the last minute, but he'd been unusually busy the past couple of weeks. And so, sucking it up, he entered the department store, squeezing his way through the press of people.

As he made his way through the crowds, he briefly pondered about what he would be the proper present to get for Arcueid – her cheery nature meant that she tended to be happy whenever he got her _anything_, but Shiki's own nature meant that he wanted to get her something that she would find _special._

Clothing? Or jewellery? Well, there was also the problem of him having a somewhat limited budget. He blew out a sigh. But it was okay! For Arcueid's sake, he was willing to limit his lunches for the next month to cup ramen and hot water.

Not that he didn't hope that it wouldn't come to that, of course.

Abruptly, his gaze fell on a small bottle of perfume being advertised as being on sale.

Perfume? Well, that was an idea for a gift, if nothing else.

Walking over, he reached out to pick up the tiny bottle.

Only for another hand to seize ahold of the container at the same time.

Shiki blinked and look up into the face of –

"Ciel-senpai?"

She blinked back at him. "Tohno-kun?"

* * *

Sitting up in bed, Arcueid rubbed at her eyes sleepily.

"Today's Christmas Eve, huh…" she mumbled as she glanced at the calendar. With a yawn, she clambered out of the bed. "Well, no time to waste then."

Notwithstanding that she had gotten up at two in the afternoon, Arcueid had work to do, and she intended to get it done quickly.

After she'd screwed up by getting Shiki a birthday present that had been two months too late, Arcueid was determined to make up for it by making sure his Christmas present would be a fantastic one!

Well, 'present' was not an entirely accurate term. 'Presents' would be closer to the truth. Quantity had a quality all of its own, after all.

Or so she had read somewhere, and it sounded pretty accurate. Plus, even if that wasn't necessarily true, getting Shiki more than one present meant that he was more likely to really, _really_ like at least one of them, right?

Right.

_Others_ might have been somewhat discouraged at the prospect of finding multiple gifts on the day before they were supposed to be given, but to Arcueid, this was a _challenge_. An exciting one!

Clapping her hands together enthusiastically, Arcueid got down to work.

* * *

Sitting opposite each other on a table in a rather crowded food court, Shiki and Ciel were busy tucking into lunch, neither really looking at the other. The bottle of perfume was placed on the table in between the two of them.

Shiki glanced at the two bowls of curry katsu-don that Ciel was polishing off with gusto, and let out a small sigh.

"So, senpai…" he began. "Why are you here?"

"Same reason as you, I guess," she replied as she pushed the first, empty bowl away. "I was getting Christmas presents."

"Oh? Who's the perfume supposed to be for, then?"

"Oh, you know…" Ciel trailed off. "A friend."

"People?" Shiki repeated. _Senpai doesn't know that many people in Misaki city, does she? Aside from me and Arihiko, there's only Akiha and Arcueid._

"Senpai, is that perfume supposed to be for Arcueid?"

Ciel's reaction was both immediate and unexpected. A frown appeared on her face, and she looked away, folding her arms. "Don't be stupid, Tohno-kun! As if I would waste my time and money buying presents for a vampire!"

"O – oh…" Shiki scratched his head. "Akiha, then?"

"No." Ciel's reply was curt.

Another silence descended on the two of them, Shiki continuing to eat.

"So, Tohno-kun," Ciel spoke up. "What about you? What did you want that perfume for?"

"I guess I wanted to buy it for Arcueid," Shiki finally said. "I hadn't actually decided, though. To be honest, I'm still not sure what to get her."

"And you left it until Christmas Eve?" Ciel shook her head. "That's pretty careless, Tohno-kun. I wouldn't leave off buying gifts for my loved ones until the last day."

Shiki slumped slightly under the weight of Ciel's criticism, but he nodded. "Well, what's done is done," he said. "Now I just need to get her a present that she'll like."

"…" Ciel raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem, Tohno-kun? One you're not telling me about?"

"You mean aside from a painful lack of liquid funds?" he chuckled slightly. "No, not really."

"Ah," CIel's smile gained an apologetic cast to it. "Then I'm sorry, Tohno-kun, but I can't help you with that. The stipend given me by the church isn't that great either."

"Don't worry, Senpai," Shiki smiled at her. "I won't use someone else's money to buy presents for Arcueid."

Ciel smiled at him, although there was something in her expression that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Well, if you say so, Tohno-kun. Although," she picked up the bottle of perfume. "This is actually a little expensive, isn't it?"

"Yeah," there was a sigh and the rubbing of his head. "I didn't notice the price earlier, but… it's way out of my range," he smiled at Ciel. "You keep it, Senpai. I'll find something else for Arcueid."

"If you say so," Ciel said as Shiki stood from his seat. He had taken two steps away from the table when he heard her call him. "Tohno-kun!"

"Yes, Senpai? What is it?"

She smiled at him. "I'm sure you'll find the perfect gift for Arcueid."

Shiki returned a smile he didn't really feel at her. "Thanks for the encouragement, Senpai."

And then he returned, vanishing into the press of the crowds.

With a sigh, Ciel grabbed ahold of the perfume bottle and turned it over in her hands.

"She'd _better_ appreciate this," the executor muttered.

* * *

Ciel's encouraging words notwithstanding, Shiki was getting increasingly frustrated as he continued walking through the various stores, looking at the goods they had on offer. He supposed the fact that a lot of the actual good deals had already been snapped up was entirely his fault, but that didn't help soothe his frustration any.

Picking up and idly turning over a snow globe in his hands, Shiki once more pondered about the difficulties of gift-giving. A single object (and one that wasn't too expensive at that) to sum up the entirety of the relationship he had with Arcueid? Talk about impossibilities. All the stuff available seemed so… superficial, somehow.

With a sigh, he replaced the snow globe and turned to head deeper into the store, stopped only when he heard an annoyed shout from behind him.

"_There_ you are! What's the big idea, running off and leaving me behind like that? Do you _want_ me to dismi…" Shiki turned in time to catch sight of a childlike figure in white walking up to him, an annoyed expression on her face that quickly melted away as she caught sight of him.

"White…" Shiki said softly.

"Oh," White Len snorted. "It's _you_. That figures. What are you even doing here, anyway?"

Shiki sighed, suddenly finding himself frustrated enough that he didn't particularly care if others knew about his problems. "Trying to find a Christmas present, what does it look like?"

"Oh," a faraway look appeared on White Len's face. "For that princess of yours. Huh. Sometimes I think Nanaya could learn a thing or two from you."

"… So he's not getting you a present then?"

"As if he cared about that sort of thing!" White Len gave a rude snort. "We just came in here to get a drink and then he decided to run off and I don't even know where he is now!"

"Huh. Well, sorry to hear that, and I hope you find him soon," Shiki waved goodbye and turned away. The less he had to do with his Tatari counterpart, the better. However, before he could take a step he felt a small hand seize the hem of his shirt.

"Oh no you don't," White Len said angrily. "You're supposed to be Mr. Nice Guy, right? That's what Len thinks about you anyway. So you're going to be helping me track down Nanaya."

"I'm kind of on a tight schedule here," Shiki said as he yanked himself free of White Len's grasp.

"I just want some suggestions about places you'd go to if you were hanging out. After all, you and he are the same person," she paused. "Almost. Kinda. Sorta."

"Look, Nanaya isn't going to be in any trouble," Shiki snapped. "And I don't want anything to do with him, so-"

White Len sighed. "I didn't want to have to resort to this," and as she said so she clasped her hands together, her eyes growing wide and soulful as an expression of utter despondency appeared on her face. "Pleeeeaaase?" She whimpered in quite possibly the most pathetic and downtrodden voice Shiki had ever heard.

Shiki stood staring dumbly at her for several long seconds before throwing his hands up into the air. "Fine, whatever. It's not like I had any ideas for solving my own problems or anything."

"Much obliged," White Len's usual expression of mild disdain was back on her face as she curtsied slightly. "Please lead the way then, Shiki Tohno."

As he began walking through the store, he half-turned to look at White Len out of the corner of his eye. "Where did you learn how to pull an expression like that anyway?"

"Hmph," White Len smirked as she tossed a strand of white hair over her shoulder. "A maiden must have some secrets of her own, no?"

* * *

Quickly poking through several stores had revealed nothing of worth, and certainly no sign of Nanaya, not that Shiki had really expected him to be found so easily. To be honest, it wasn't like he could blame his opposite number for wanting some alone time away from the cranky familiar that was now following him.

"This is a waste of time," Shiki muttered to himself.

"Wow, you're pessimistic," from beside him, White Len had inexplicably found a santa hat from somewhere and had donned it, ostensibly for the purpose of keeping her ears warm. The net effect was that she received more than her fair share of stares as the two of them continued walking through the mall. "I never pegged the princess for the sort to like grumpy types."

"I'm sure Nanaya is a bundle of joy and optimism," Shiki replied dryly. "Look, let's just get this over and done with." _He's probably back at whatever passes as a home for the both of them. I should just-_

"Oh my God you are the _cutest_ thing!" A grey blur zipped by him and suddenly Shiki found himself staring at a vaguely familiar female cuddling up against a struggling White Len.

"Get _off_ me!" White Len snapped as she succeeded in wriggling out of the girl's grasp. As she grumpily readjusted her santa hat, she looked up into the face of –

"Riesbyfe," White Len sighed. "I really need to talk to Sion about putting you on a leash."

"Aw, but then I wouldn't be able to find you and spend quality time!" Riesbyfe chuckled as she rubbed the hat on the familiar's head, to her apparent annoyance. "Anyway, what are you two doing here…" she looked up into Shiki's face for the first time, apparently just now realizing that she wasn't looking at Nanaya.

"We're looking for Nanaya," Shiki said shortly. He wasn't very familiar with the church knight, only that Sion was her close friend. "Well, White Len is looking and she decided to drag me along. Want to take over?"

"Well, gee…" Riesbyfe rubbed the back of her head. "I'm… well, actually kinda busy right now."

"Oh?" Shiki raised an eyebrow. "Busy with what?"

"Buying cookies."

"… Cookies."

"Yeah, you know… the sugary type that just melt in your mouth?" an expression of bliss crossed Riesbyfe's face. "I wanted to get some for the party."

"… Party." Shiki repeated.

"Yeah," Riesbyfe nodded. "We figured the Back Alley Alliance might as well throw a party. Just the few of us – me, Sion and Sa…" Riesbyfe trailed off as she looked at Shiki. "Well, us and a few others. Len might want to attend too."

"Akiha wasn't really big on the idea of a party," Shiki chuckled as he shook his head. "I managed to get her to agree to a dinner, though."

"…" White Len sighed and tugged her hat more firmly into place. "Can you two discuss how you're going to spend a wonderful happy Christmas with friends and family later? Right now I still need to look for that idiot Master of mine."

"Well, I guess I'll help you look," Riesbyfes shrugged. "I'm not in a rush."

"Fine, whatever," Shiki muttered, already getting more annoyed. "It's not like we've had any luck so far on our own."

"Hey, you know?"

"What?"

"We should get a name for our group."

"… What group?"

"The 'Hunting down Nanaya" group, that's what."

"… No."

"How about 'The Three Great Stalke-'"

"**No.**"

* * *

"So since I'm dead – technically, anyway – the church isn't sending me any money anymore. Sion's still the vice-director of Atlas on a technicality, but they get paid on commission and she hasn't done much work for them since leaving the city, so we're kind of stranded as far as money goes." Riesbyfe continued her explanation to Shiki as they continued scanning the mall.

"I thought Akiha offered Sion a place to stay in the mansion?" Shiki questioned as he scanned the crowds, only half-paying attention to the church executor's statements.

"Yeah, there was that, but Sion's… um, how should I put it, she doesn't like to rely on charity," something about the way Riesbyfe spoke told Shiki that he wasn't getting the full story, but, well, that was a side affair, wasn't it?"

"Well, if you ever get into big enough trouble, I'm sure Akiha will be more than willing to take you in."

"Heh. Thanks for the offer…" Shiki trailed off as he caught a glimpse of a familiar face in the crowd. _There he is._

Motioning to White Len, he started striding in the direction of Nanaya, eyes furrowing as he noted that his counterpart had drawn his own knife. Thankfully he hadn't extended the blade, although Shiki knew from personal experience that it would take less than a second for him to have the blade out and fully ready to fight.

As Shiki stepped closer to Nanaya, the assassin shifted slightly, that being the only indication that he'd realized Shiki was approaching him.

"As always, you dog my steps," there was a calm smile on Nanaya's face as he refused to look in Shiki's direction.

"Stop playing around, you idiot," White Len snapped. "You are going to _get_ it from me once we-"

"Quiet." Nanaya said softly, shifting his stance to a more predatory one. "You'll scare him away."

"Nanaya," Shiki said after a long moment of silence. "What are you doing?"

There was a pause as Nanaya breathed out a low sigh. And then, "I'm hunting Santa Claus."

* * *

"Let's see… new horseshoes for Seven… check," Ciel nodded in satisfaction as she looked down the list. "Had to order them custom too. She'd _better_ appreciate this. I already got Tohno-kun's present the other week, and now I've got the perfume for her too, all that's left is-"

She was distracted by yelling coming from the 1st floor of the mall. Tensing and preparing to summon a weapon if necessary, Ciel edged closer to the railing and peeked over the edge.

The first thing she saw was the local mall santa running as fast as his legs would carry him. Behind him two Shikis were chasing him – no check that, one Shiki was chasing the santa, the other Shiki was chasing the first one. Behind _them_ was White Len, waving her arms wildly and yelling something that sounded vaguely like 'soap bread'. And behind all of that was a woman with white hair that looked vaguely familiar to Ciel, walking leisurely behind the chaos with a bored expression on her face.

Ciel blinked, shook her head once, and returned to her list. "Where was I? Oh yes, I wanted to buy some soap for Akiha-san…"

* * *

"Nanaya! I'm telling you that's not the _real_ Santa! He doesn't have some mystical bag of presents for you to steal!" Shiki yelled desperately as he sprinted after his psychotic shadow.

"That's what he _wants _us to think," Nanaya shot back. "But I'm on to his game." Leaping over a diorama of a sleigh with reindeer, Nanaya continued his unflagging pursuit.

"You're crazy!"

Forsaking any sort of reply, Nanaya opted to simply continue the chase. The mall santa might have been running for his life, but there was no way he could outrun Nanaya. Drawing his knife, the assassin leaped forward, sweeping his leg out to knock the santa down with a single kick.

"And now…" holding the knife to the helpless men's throat, Nanaya's face was cold. "I want your _presents._"

"…W – what?" the santa managed to sputter.

Anything else Nanaya might have said was cut off as Shiki jumped forward to plant a shoe solidly in his right ear. At the same time, White Len, finally fed up with her idiot of a Master, had thrown a block of ice straight at Nanaya, the combined effect of both attacks enough to knock Nanaya to the ground in a heap.

And behind them, Riesbyfe ambled up and extended to a hand to help the shocked employee back to his feet.

* * *

"So… Nanaya actually wanted to get you a Christmas present?"

The three of them were sitting on a bench outside the mall, taking the chance to unwind after their latest misadventure. Shiki looked a little worse for the wear, the result of Nanaya attempting to beat him to death with the broken off antler from one of the display reindeer. But he had been successfully subdued in the end.

"Yes," White Len confirmed grumpily as she sipped a packet of juice. Her santa hat had been torn in the ensuing scrap, and she was understandably upset about it. "But he didn't have any money to actually _buy_ anything."

"And so he figured that stealing something from Santa Claus was the next best alternative. And he chose a mall santa as a target." Riesbyfe concluded.

"Again, yes."

After a moment Shiki realized that both Riesbyfe and White Len were staring at him. "What?" He said, a trifle defensively.

"I never actually pegged you as being so… _dumb_." Riesbyfe murmured.

"_What_!" Shiki sputtered. "I am not Nanaya! I'm me!"

"But Nanaya is supposed to be created from the unused parts of your personality, right?"

"That's not how the Tatari works!" Shiki snapped. "It manifests based on rumours around the local area and shaping itself to match those rumours!"

"I thought it manifested based on the deepest fears of the various affected people."

There was a pause as the three of them continued to stare at each other before sighing and slumping back onto the bench.

"Anyway, Nanaya's safely in the hospital now recovering from several broken limbs so he's out of our hair." Shiki said with an air of finality.

"Out of _your_ hair, you mean," White Len grumbled. "I'm going to have to take care of him and the hospital fees. I don't even have the money for that!"

"There, there," Riesbyfe patted White Len on the head, which only sharpened the familiar's glare. "I'm sure you'll think of something. And anyway, the Nanaya Stalker Club got its first success today, huh?"

"Nanaya…"

"Stalker…?"

"Club!" Riesbyfe said enthusiastically. "An unqualified victory!"

"… I'm going home." Shiki muttered as he stood from the bench.

"Me too," White Len mumbled. "For a certain definition of 'home', anyway."

"Hey, where are you guys going?"

* * *

Hisui stood in the lobby of the mansion, dusting a vase while keeping a surreptitious eye on the front door. It was already dinnertime, and Shiki had yet to come back.

Even as the thought passed through her mind, the door creaked open, and Hisui turned to bow in the direction of the door.

"Welcome home, Shiki… sama…" she trailed off as she stared at his bruised face and rumpled clothing.

"Hello, Hisui," Shiki said shortly as he stepped into the house. "Is dinner ready?"

"Almost, but – what happened, Shiki-sama?"

"I don't want to talk about it," he replied as he slumped onto a chair.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence before Shiki looked up at Hisui. "Hey, Hisui. How good are you with your hands?"

"Ah? Eh… I have some modicum of skill, Shiki-sama, but why do you ask?"

"I have an idea for Arcueid's Christmas present. But," Shiki glanced at the clock on the wall. "I'm going to need your help to get it ready by tomorrow."

* * *

The Christmas dinner came as expected, with both Ciel and Arcueid arriving on time (and Akiha's expression only betraying a slight annoyance at their appearance), and Kohaku's meal was, as usual, fantastic.

After the dinner, of course, came the exchanging of gifts.

"Arcueid?" Shiki said softly as he approached her from behind. "Um… I have a present for you."

"Oh?" she turned to face him, a bright smile on her face. "I have a present for you too, Shiki!"

"Oh, then…"

"You first, though," she folded her arms. "You were the one who approached me, after all."

With a nod and a chuckle, Shiki brought up a box, about the size of his head, passing it to Arcueid. "Merry Christmas, Arcueid." He said softly.

"So what's in it?" she questioned as she shook the box to hear a soft 'thump' from inside.

"Well, open it and find out." Shiki smiled at her.

"Okay!" Tearing the wrapping off like an excited child, Arcueid hastily opened the box, and brought out…

"A plushie?" Arcueid questioned as she turned it over in her hand. Hisui, Kohaku and Shiki had worked together throughout the night to modify it from one of the toys left in the mansion – it now sported a dark blue school uniform, glasses, and one hand had a piece of grey velvet attached to make it look like a miniature knife.

"I… I hope you like it," Shiki mumbled as he looked away, feeling his face grow hot.

An instant later, he heard a squeal of delight and felt Arcueid's arms wrapping around him. "It's _wonderful_, Shiki! Oh, thank you so much!"

Success! Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kohaku and Hisui smiling in his direction.

Abruptly, Arcueid pulled away. "So, this is my Christmas present," she said. "What about my birthday present?"

"… Birthday?" Shiki repeated.

"Of course!" Arcueid nodded. "I have a birthday today too, don't you remember? You don't mean to say you're only giving me a Christ- mmph!" Arcueid was cut off as Shiki pulled her close, locking lips with her and drawing her into a long, passionate kiss.

Eventually, Shiki pulled away, looking deep into Arcueid's eyes. "Happy Birthday, Arcueid."

Somewhat breathless, Arcueid smiled dreamily back at him. "I should have birthdays more often." She mused as she pulled away. Abruptly, she snapped her fingers.

"Ah, right. All right, Shiki! Here are my presents!"

"Presents? You got me more than one?"

"Well, yeah, I had to make up for forgetting your birthday, didn't I?" Arcueid said as she began pulling several items out of her bag. "Present number one, a cake!"

"A… cake."

"Yeah. You know, after the last time, I thought I should go do it right. I went and got one from a store," and before Shiki could reply, Arcueid reached into her bag again. "Number two and three, a maid uniform and a kimono!"

"… What?"

"Well, I'm not really giving them to you, but-" Arcueid beamed at Shiki. "I'll where them whenever you want, Shiki!"

"A – Arcueid!" Shiki could feel his face growing hot. "That… that's…"

"And number four!" Arcueid continued as she dived into the bag one more time. "Here's a new jacket!"

"A jacket? Why…?"

"Well, it's only going to get colder, and with how often you come out at night to meet me, I thought I should at least make sure you can keep yourself warm."

"Oh, is that so?" a voice from behind Shiki sent a chill through his spine. "That's very interesting, Nii-san. I wasn't aware about these 'frequent night meetings'. Care to tell me about them?"

"Ahaha…" Taking a long sip from his drink, Shiki resigned himself to a long night ahead of him.

For Arcueid, it would be worth it.

* * *

I hope it didn't feel too rushed.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.

Next: Contradictory.


	23. Contradictory

The World of the Moon

* * *

Twenty Three: Contradictory

I hope the quality doesn't suffer from me throwing these out at an accelerated pace.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Arcueid stood under the moonlight, silent and still.

Waiting.

She could feel _him_ approaching. Likely _he_ knew she was there too.

Why would he approach her, though? _He _never actively sought her out. But then again, he had. Maybe that was it. He was still the one in charge of the body.

But even then, there was no reason for him to come. He knew as well as _he_ did that to approach her would mean his death. It didn't make any sense that he would come to her so freely.

It made no sense.

It was contradictory.

Arcueid pursed her lips, feeling a burst of annoyance as her thoughts returned to the enigmatic boy she had met only a few days ago.

Everything about him mystified her. The way he made her feel. He'd killed her, and so she should have hated him, right? And she had, at first. But before she'd even met him again she'd gotten to thinking about what kind of person he was, and then her hatred had started to slip.

That hadn't happened with _him_. Her feelings about _him_ hadn't changed, for eight hundred years. Even now, the thought of _him_ made a bitter feeling rise up in the back of her throat, her hate and anger so physical a force it almost felt like she was being choked.

But he had been different. Even though he had killed her, even though everything she knew told her that she was supposed hate him with every fibre of her being, she had found that she couldn't. After she had talked to him, she hadn't hated him. She'd found herself trusting him, enough so that she could go to sleep in his presence. Enough so that she could ask for his help in fighting Nrvnsqr.

Now that she thought about it, she realized that it hadn't made any sense.

It had been illogical.

It had been contradictory.

And then there had been the night when they had met in the park while she had been fending off Ciel. She had been happy to see him, that much was true. But it hadn't taken her long to get angry at him, either. His remark that he didn't want to antagonize the church woman had irritated her to the point where she had turned and stalked off.

She still didn't understand it, to be honest. That such joy could come so closely with anger whenever he was around. The two emotions were entirely opposed, weren't they? Even someone like her, who was relatively unused to such feelings, could tell that. And yet he had managed to incite both of those feelings at almost the same time.

Contradictory.

And then there had the next night. He just had to oppose her, had to side with the church woman and try to protect her. Logically, it made sense. She'd deceived him and tricked him, and he really didn't know anything about what she was really capable of. So he wouldn't have seen anything wrong with trying to look out for her. That was what logic had told her. But it hadn't mattered. Seeing him side with the church woman had caused something in her to snap, and she had stalked away in anger.

In part it was because she realized that she wanted him to be at her side. He had been interesting to talk to, to be with, even in the short time they had known each other. Each time he'd turned and walked away from her there had been a strange tightness in her chest, even when they had agreed to meet again (those contradictions again). And there had been a simple solution to that too, hadn't there? Simply make him hers. It would be the act of but a moment, and there was no way he would be able to resist her, even in her relatively weakened state.

But whenever she thought about the actual act, about holding him down and forcing her blood down his throat, she experienced a strange, twisting feeling in her stomach. She didn't know why, but the thought of doing something like that to him, just made her uncomfortable. But the result was something she wanted, wasn't it? So why...?

She didn't understand.

The whole thing contradicted itself.

And now he stood in front of her, carrying _him_ within himself. If anything, that should have made the situation clear. She hated _him_. That had never changed – would never change. For as long as _he_ existed, she would hunt _him_ down to destroy _him_. So it should have been simple. Now that he carried _him_ inside, it should have been simple.

But of course it wasn't that simple. It never was when it came to him. Even as she watched his approach, worry swirled with anger, uncertainty over what would happen warred with the triumph of vindication that he shouldn't have sided with Ciel so strongly.

And finally he halted, staring steadily at her. From within him, she could feel _him_ squirming, rage and anger rising in cresting waves.

And she opened her mouth to speak.

"It's been a while. Isn't it a wonderful moon tonight, Shiki?"

"-Arcueid. Didn't you go back?" Shiki's voice was soft, drained of energy.

"No, I haven't fulfilled my objective yet. I can't go back before then, can I?" For her own part, she was again surprised that her voice could remain so calm.

In front of her stood someone she wanted to protect .

Someone she wanted to destroy.

Someone she never wanted to see again.

Someone she had thought about endlessly ever since they had last parted.

Her gaze sharpened as she glared at Shiki – at the Roa hiding within Shiki.

"Stupid Shiki," she said softly. "This wouldn't have happened if you'd just stuck with me."

Shiki reacts – barely.

"So, Shiki?" she continued. "How does it feel, having Roa inside you?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" His lie was weak and faltering. Arcueid didn't miss his hand drifting down to his pocket. His knife was in there, no doubt.

"It's useless to lie, you know," she said calmly. "In the first place, it was my blood that made Roa a Dead Apostle. It's easy for me to sense him, because it's my power that he stole."

Yes. Without a doubt, Roa writhed within Shiki's soul. Arcueid almost frowned. That was strange, really. When Roa possessed a new host, he did so by overwriting his own will over that of his target's, turning the victim into a vampire from the inside out. But in this case, Roa was only existing within Shiki, not actively erasing him.

Two souls in one body.

Yet another way in which Shiki was a walking contradiction.

Yet another way in which how she felt about Shiki had to be complicated.

"Yes, Roa is definitely within you. He must have transferred himself to you after the last time. I don't really understand why, though."

Shiki's reaction surprised Arcueid. He had to know by now of the enormous enmity she felt for the vampire. But instead of running or fighting (as if those would do him any good), his gaze grew hooded, looking down at the floor in between two of them.

"You're pretty composed. I'd have thought you'd be more worried about being possessed," Arcueid said thoughtfully before another thought struck her. "Or, is it that you've given up already?"

"Give up?" this time he did look up into her, and Arcueid could see a glint of determination in his eyes. "There's nothing to give up about. I won't lose to Roa. Tomorrow –"

Tomorrow.

Ciel had left the city several hours earlier. She was the only one Arcueid could think of that knew of Roa. Shiki had spent all that time with her (and Arcueid tried to ignore the tightening in her chest as she thought of that), so he might have gotten her agreement to help.

But that would mean-

"Oh, so that's how it is." She shifts her stance. Just slightly, but it was enough to set Shiki on edge. "I see."

"… I don't know what it is you think you see, but I'll settle the issue with Roa myself. So if you want him dead, I'll kill him too. So, you…"

"If you think you can tell me to go back, forget it," Arcueid felt her brow furrow into a frown. Settle it himself? A transparent lie. He had turned to the Church for help, and was now waiting for Ciel. "You're going to get the help of the Church, right? If they're the ones to kill Roa, they'll just seal his power away. That's _my_ power that he stole from me. I want it back, you know."

Shiki's eyes widened. Did he only know comprehend the situation they were in? "So… in that case… are you going to…"

_Kill me?_ The unfinished question hung in the air.

And for a moment, Arcueid hesitated. She had to kill Roa. Any incarnation of him, no matter what. If Shiki harboured Roa in his soul, she would have to kill him too.

Wouldn't she?

Once more, her mind flashed back to her wild fantasies, of binding Shiki to herself, having at her side forever and ever…

"The Roa inside you is very weak right now," she said slowly. "It's probably because his reincarnation doesn't work properly unless he's transmitted into the body as it's born. That means that he only exists as a darkness within you."

A look of confusion spread on his face. "That means…?"

"That means I won't have to kill you," she smiled at him. "As long as the power he stole comes back under my control, that's enough for me."

"… Hold on, what are you saying?"

She frowned slightly. Was he being obtuse on purpose? "I'm telling you to become my servant, Shiki."

"Wha-" Shiki took a step back.

"If you'll become my servant, I'll be able to stop Roa from overcoming you," she smiled, a genuine smile now. She had hit upon a simple solution, one that worked for the both of them. "I'll get the power he stole from me back, and you won't end up having your soul consumed. That's good for both of us, isn't it?"

"… You're not joking." At Shiki's words, Arcueid felt the smile on her face start to slip. What was going on? This was supposed to be straightforward! Why was Shiki stepping away. Why was he…

Pulling a knife…

On her?

"Shiki." She let a cold edge enter her voice to hide the dismay she felt. But he refused to budge.

"I refuse. I won't be yours to possess."

She stood still for a long moment, staring at the silver blade gleaming in the moonlight. From the moment they had first met, Shiki had been difficult. Refusing to cooperate even though he had clearly wronged her by killing her. Refusing to leave well enough about Ciel alone despite her warnings. Refusing to follow her advice when it came to Roa. And now, here he was, rejecting the path that would allow both of them to gain what they wanted.

Why?

Something snapped in her brain. Enough, she decided, was enough.

"Fine," she said, taking a single step forward. "Then I suppose it'll have to be by force."

A lunge, and then she was directly in front of Shiki, staring coldly at his face.

"After all, you did kill me once. It's only fair that I pay you back."

Her clawed hand swung out – to be met and parried by his knife. As she continued her assault, she couldn't help but note that his speed was beyond that of any ordinary human's – even surpassing the speed he'd had when he had fought Nrvnsqr.

That could only mean one thing. Roa was getting stronger. Shiki's soul was starting to become that of a vampire.

She would have to bring this to an end, quickly.

One arm swung out, catching him full on in the chest and sending him tumbling to the ground.

She took one step, two steps forward. Shiki, meanwhile, had managed to retain his grip on his knife and struggle into a sitting position.

"Geez, you're stubborn," Arcueid sighed. "If it was going to be like this, you should have just gone ahead and killed Roa from the start."

He stared blankly up at her. "Kill… Roa? But that would mean to kill myself, right?"

"No you don't understand," Arcueid nodded. "To 'kill' something is to destroy their existence, isn't it? Right now, Roa's soul is trying to merge with yours. You two are on the verge of becoming a single entity, but you're not, yet. Before that happens, if you stab yourself, the weaker of the two souls would have to disappear. Up until recently that would almost certainly have been Roa.

"But you left it too long," Arcueid's frown sharpened, and she found herself blaming Ciel for that oversight. By making him sit around and waste time, she had simply let the sands of time to act run out. "Right now, you and Roa are almost equal. It'd pretty much be a coin toss which one of you died if you were to stab yourself now."

"So, what are you-" Shiki's voice was cut off as Arcueid stepped forward, roughly pushing him to the ground and pinning him at the shoulders.

"…" Now she was staring down at him. It would be so easy – so easy to make him hers. So why was she hesitating?

"What are you planning to do, Arcueid?" Shiki repeated his question.

Almost reflexively, she squeezed her hands harder, as if she could draw Shiki in from how she grasped his shoulders.

"I…" She hesitated. For a moment, now that she was on the verge of accomplishing what she wanted, she felt her thoughts whirl about her in a confused muddle.

Contradictions. Things that didn't make sense.

Dealing with Shiki involved a lot of this, it seemed.

But somehow amidst all the confusions and contradictions, at the heart of it remained a single shining point.

More than her desire to get her power back…

More than killing Roa…

More than her irritation at Shiki…

Even more than her desire for Shiki to be with her.

She wanted Shiki to live.

"That's right," she finally said, almost to herself.

_Even if you irritate me._

Then, louder. "I like you, Shiki. That's why I'll save you. I won't suck your blood, and I won't do anything you won't like.

_Even if you like other people._

"So please, just listen to what I have to say." A pleading tone. For so long she had been used to taking charge. What she wanted would be what happened. But now she couldn't do that. Despite the fact that Shiki was so much weaker than her, she would have to give him that choice.

She would have to give him her blood. That was the only way to strengthen him enough to fight off Roa. And after that… he had to be able to choose. Even though she wanted him under her… if she forced him to do that she could see only an emptiness stretching out before her.

No.

"Well, Shiki?" she questioned. Despite her massive power, she could feel herself trembling with what felt like exhaustion, and despite her best efforts, she found herself unable to keep her voice steady. "What do you say?"

How could he, pinned under her and unable to move, make her feel so weak and helpless?

For a long moment, there was no response. Shiki didn't even look her in the eye, his head turned to one side, his expression one of deep thought.

Fear, a feeling she was entirely unaccustomed to, ran through her spine.

Would he still say no? If he did that, what would she do?

"Or," a thought that she almost dared not give voice to. "Do you really hate me that much?"

And he finally did turn to face her, a look of frustration deep in his eyes. And before she could say anything further, he gave a long, slow sigh.

"Don't be ridiculous."

* * *

"Shiki!"

Bright sunlight poured in through the windows as Arcueid slipped through the window. An equally bright smile appeared on her face as she caught sight of him asleep on the bed.

"Shiki, it's morning. Get up!"

Geez. Shiki really was a heavy sleeper. Well, there was nothing for it. Walking over, Arcueid grasped ahold of his shoulder and shook it lightly.

Life was simple now. She liked Shiki. She could come find him and spend time with him whenever she wanted. Even if he liked Ciel, he had admitted that he liked her too. And that was enough.

Simple was good.

And so as he sat in bed, rubbing his eyes sleepily, she grinned at him.

"Morning, Shiki!" she called gaily. "It's great weather today!"

Life was simple now.

Simple was good.

And so life was good.

No contradictions there.

* * *

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.

Next: Under the Moonlight


	24. Under the Moonlight

The World of the Moon

* * *

Twenty Four: Under the Moonlight

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Nights in Misaki City were starting to get noisy again. The public had more or less decided that it was safe to go out at night once more, and even past the late hours there was a steady flow of people through the city centre.

One of the relatively less populated areas at this point was the park, and so Ciel was grateful for the quiet as she landed there, blowing out a quick breath of air was one thing. Her continued patrols were one thing, but having to do so while keeping out of eyeshot of an increasing number of people was quite another. It wasn't even like it was a particular difficult task – just an annoying one.

And even then, knowing that it was about to come to an end sent a twinge through her heart.

Standing in the silence of the park, Ciel took a moment to breathe in the cool night air, letting her gaze wander over the bushes and tree illuminated by the brightly burning lights of the lamps.

As peaceful a scene as one could ask for.

"Oh, fancy meeting you here, Ciel!" A cheery voice blasted away her thoughts, and the church executor suppressed a sigh. So much for quiet thoughts and a sense of peace.

"Arcueid," she turned and nodded once in the direction of the voice. From the trees a figure clad in white emerged, whistling a cheery tune as she strolled up to the Burial Agent. "I didn't know you were still up."

"Oh, you know how it is," Arcueid replied carelessly as she flopped onto a park bench. "Couldn't sleep, decided to take a walk and get some fresh air."

Silently, Ciel decided that no, she did not in fact know. Arcueid had always struck her as the sort who would have no trouble sleeping like a baby in any circumstances. The idea of the carefree and cheerful True Ancestor tossing and turning in bed, kept awake by worries or stress, was one that she had trouble immediately conjuring to mind.

For a long moment, she simply considered turning away and leaving Arcueid to her own devices. It wasn't like they had much to talk about at the best of times, and with a shadow of disquiet coming over Ciel's heart as of late, she didn't really feel up to a sparring match with the True Ancestor (the match being verbal in nature or otherwise). And so, she drew in a slight breath and-

"You'll be leaving soon, won't you?"

Ciel froze for a long moment before turning to face Arcueid again. The True Ancestor's sitting stance was still entirely relaxed, but the expression on her face as she gazed at Ciel was serious.

Ciel held her gaze for a moment before dropping to one side, a soft nod of affirmation being her response. After a long moment, she lifted her gaze to Arcueid, curiosity written on her features. "How did you know?"

"Oh, you know," Arcueid waved her hands carelessly. "Your patrols have been getting shorter and shorter. There really aren't any more Dead about for you to hunt, and the way the Church works, you'll probably end up being assigned somewhere else soon."

Ciel sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "You're right," she muttered as she walked over to the bench, flopping rather heavily on it beside Arcueid. "In fact, I'll be leaving the day after tomorrow."

A snort of surprise came out from Arcueid. "Wow! That's… uh, fast," there was a slight pause. "You didn't tell Shiki, did you? If he'd known, he'd have mentioned it to me."

She shook her head once. "No," her voice was soft. "What would be the point?"

"The point?" Arcueid now had a confused expression on her face. "I mean, that's just what friends do when they leave to go different places, right?"

_Friends._ The word flitted about in Ciel's mind, refusing to settle down nicely and vanish black into the depths.

"Maybe normal people," she finally said shortly. "But I'm not normal. Now drop it."

Arcueid sighed and leaned forward, "Well, if _I_ were going to leave Shiki forever I know I'd want to say goodbye first."

"Don't you dare." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"Huh? What?" Arcueid turned to regard her now, a look of surprise on her face.

"Don't you dare leave Tohno-kun," Ciel turned to face Arcueid as well, her expression set. "You don't know how much he depends on you."

"What are you saying?" an annoyed frown came on Arcueid's face. "I won't leave Shiki. That was just speaking hypothetically."

"That so?" Ciel laughed once, a harsh biting chuckle in the night air. "That's good then."

Another silence descended on the two of them, as they sat there in each other's company. Neither of them could say that they were entirely comfortable with each other, and yet, each other's presence was something familiar to the other.

That much, at least, was something that was to be valued.

"Do you remember that night?" Ciel finally said.

"That night?" Arcueid repeated.

"The night where everything was settled with Roa," Ciel explained. "Shiki was in his room with me, and you were outside eavesdropping. Remember?"

"Of course I do!" unconsciously, a smile crossed Arcueid's face, and Ciel felt a small tug at her heart as she watched him.

"That's right, so you can remember what Shiki said about him and you." She turned her own gaze to the heavens above, as her own memories surfaced once more.

Her standing in the room, staring at Shiki. His own eyes were distant, a soft smile playing across his features.

Sometimes, she wondered if what they said about a person being in love was true. Although he had been a complete mess after being brought to the verge of death with Roa, there had been an… intensity about him as he contemplated Arcueid, one that she found impossible to ignore.

"... I love Arcueid. I love her as a man, I love everything about more than that, I want to make her happy with my own hands. For that, it doesn't matter what happens to my life. I don't want her to die like this. Right now, that's all there is, Senpai."

Those words, delivered with a quiet conviction, from the bottom of his heart.

Back then, Ciel hadn't yet been sure how she had felt about the enigmatic boy – the one she'd suspected might have been her target and might have been the one she would have to kill. But his words had confirmed one thing for her.

"Don't ever let Shiki down, Arcueid." She said softly. "Don't ever abandon him."

"…" She might have expected some sort of heated retort or remark from the True Ancestor about Ciel's lack of trust in her or something, but instead Arcueid simply nodded once, a distant expression on her face.

For a long while, the two of them simply sat there in silence once more, broken only by a soft chuckle from Arcueid.

"Hm? What is it?" Ciel glanced curiously at her as she shook her head.

"I was just thinking about how much the two of us are like each other."

What's that supposed to mean? The words were on the tip of her tongue before she reined herself in. She knew very well what Arcueid meant, and in some ways she couldn't really disagree.

She sighed. What was she doing here? It wasn't like her to do things on the basis of sentiment or emotion. In fact, the last time she'd felt like that was… well, after Shiki had made that confession to her, and she'd decided to bring him along to the fight with Roa for no good reason.

She was feeling uncommonly like that now, too. Maybe it was the thought of leaving the place that she'd come the closest to feeling comfortable in.

"Hey, Arcueid."

"Nh?"

"… If things had been different…" Ciel swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling uncommonly dry. "If we had met under different circumstances… do you think we could have been friends?"

Another silence that descended upon the two of them like a thick blanket. Unconsciously, Ciel flexed her fingers, feeling the rough skin of her palm tighten. What was she thinking, asking something like this? Showing her Arcueid her vulnerable side…

"What are you talking about?"

"H – huh?"

Arcueid stood and took a couple of steps forward before turning to face Ciel, a gentle smile on her face. "We _are_ friends, Ciel."

Ciel sat staring stupidly at Arcueid for several long seconds before she chuckled and nodded her head once. "So we are." She murmured. Very strange friends, apparently, but… well, friends nonetheless.

With a sigh and a grunt, Ciel stood. "Well, I should be heading back. I can't leave Seven to herself for too long."

"… Hey, Ciel."

"What is it, Arcueid?"

"You should tell him. Shiki, I mean. He'd want to know."

Not meeting Arcueid's gaze, Ciel nodded once. "I guess. I'll find him tomorrow," and with that she turned away. Somehow, it didn't feel right to leave Arcueid behind like this, probably the last time they would meet for several years, but… well, what else was there to say? "Hey, Arcueid, I-"

She turned to face an empty park.

"…"

With a shake of head and a sigh, Ciel took a flying leap herself, leaving the moonlit square behind. If there had been anyone to watch, there would have seen a small smile etched on the Burial Agent's face.

And then there was only silence and stillness in the park.

* * *

Just a bit of character study. Hope you enjoyed reading it.

Little short, though…

Next: Once Upon A Time


	25. Once Upon A Time

The World of the Moon

* * *

Twenty Five: Once Upon A Time

I know that I said I was updating with 'Hunters in the Dark' last time, but I got this idea for a story and it refused to let me go. Here's hoping I can do that idea justice.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Once upon a time, there lived a princess.

The princess lived in a high castle, alone and aloof from everyone else who met her. For as long as she could remember, no one would approach her.

She was special, was what they said.

She was unique, was what they said.

She was _holy_, was what they said.

She was _different_, was what they meant.

And because she was different, she was alone.

Every day, every night, in her high castle.

Alone.

And although she did not understand it, she was desperately lonely.

And so one day, she decided to leave the castle. She didn't tell anyone she was leaving, but neither did she attempt to sneak away in darkness.

She simply left the castle behind, and ventured out into the world.

She wanted to see what it was like for herself.

She wanted to have adventures and fun.

But most of all, she wanted to no longer be alone.

She ventured through many places, wandering to and fro, observing people as they lived their lives, watching a world she had never known and did not understand.

But she remained alone.

She travelled through quiet country villages, through bustling metropolises, through riverside towns and through cosy hamlets.

But she remained alone.

She observed their wild festivals and customs, days of song and dance and laughter, days of celebration and days of remembrance, and she wondered what was the purposes of it all was.

But she remained alone.

People who saw her praised her for her beauty.

People who viewed her admired her for her elegance.

People who knew her feared her for the strength.

But because of her beauty, her elegance, and her strength, no matter where she went, she remained separate.

Distant.

Alone.

Until one day, in a city in the far corner of the world, she met a boy.

The boy didn't care that she was different. The boy didn't care that she was powerful.

The boy did care that she didn't know anything about the world around her.

He laughed at her and made fun of her for not knowing things, even as he decided to teach her about them.

At first she was angry that he laughed at her.

But then she decided to be grateful that he was helping her to learn more.

And she was grateful that he had agreed to be close to her, and that he didn't care that she was different.

And so the two of them continued to be together, the boy teaching, and the princess learning about the world outside.

And eventually the princess grew to love the boy, and the boy grew to love the princess.

One moonlit night, they confessed their love to each other under the stars, and for a brief, endless moment, all was right in the world.

But then, like an ill wind blowing in from the door, a darkness came to tear the two of them apart.

For you see, the boy was not as alone as he seemed. Several people had sought him out, and they wanted the boy for themselves.

One night, as the princess and the boy slept, four women came upon the house they were staying in, and peered inside.

"That boy would make a good subject for my experiments!" said the Amber-Eyed Witch.

"That boy is my brother, and belongs only to me!" said the Crimson-Locked Demon

"That boy is too good for the princess!" said the Mistress of Curry.

"…" said the Silent Maiden.

For a while, they argued about who should get the boy, for all the women, being selfish creatures, all wanted the boy for herself. But finally, as dawn began to break, they formed a hasty alliance to spirit the boy away before the princess awoke.

As so it was that the princess opened her eyes to an empty bed, and a silent house.

Frantically she searched, but the truth of the matter soon became apparent – that she was alone in the house.

For a time, she wept bitterly, believing that he must have abandoned her while she was sleeping. But then common sense reasserted itself, for she was currently in the boy's home, and he would not have his own home just like that.

And so, steeling herself, she set out once more to look for him.

But despite her efforts, she could not find any trace of the boy she loved. Finally, she decided to seek the help of her grandfather.

Now her grandfather was a mighty wizard, skilled in all manner of magecraft and lore.

And so it was that desperate, she returned to him, throwing herself at his feet and begging him to help her find the boy she loved.

"Hm," the wizard said as he stroked his beard. "Finding him will be the easy task, my granddaughter. Bringing him back to your side will be much more difficult, I fear."

"It is no matter," the princess declared, "For I am resolved on this matter."

"Very well," her grandfather nodded. "Then I shall begin my spell."

And thus, when the spell was completed, the princess had in her mind a destination - a dark kitchen hidden from sight, where all manner of strange brews and concoctions lay.

With a word of thanks to her grandfather, the princess departed.

And thus, she came to the Dark Kitchen, and within the confines of the place was the Silent Maiden, stirring a pot filled to the brim with vile things.

"Where is the one I love?" the princess demanded as she entered the chamber.

"… He is no longer here," the Silent Maiden replied. "He has been taken from me."

"Then where is he?"

"That I cannot tell you," the Silent Maiden turned to face her. "For though they are my enemies in love, so you are one too."

"I do not ask this for my sake," the princess declared. "I ask it for his."

And so as the Silent Maiden stared at the princess she came to understand the princess' heart, and she found herself ashamed that she should have sought the boy for herself when he already loved another.

"I shall tell you," she said. "But only if you agree to face my challenge, for I would test your devotion to the boy."

"I accept," the princess said confidently.

And so it was that the Silent Maiden placed a cauldron on the table in between the two of them. As the princess looked, the lid of the cauldron rattled, as if something within were seeking to get out.

"Consume this meal I have prepared for you," said the Silent Maiden. "Many have tried, and none have succeeded. If you surpass this challenge, I will tell you where the boy has been taken, and I will also offer you my aid."

And so the princess sat down at the table, a spoon in her hand as a portion of the meal from the cauldron was placed before her.

And she began to eat.

The first bite was full of vileness, a bitterness that lingered on the tongue long after it had been swallowed.

The second bite was filled with a sour flavour so powerful that princess thought her lips would curdle.

The third bite was spicy beyond measure and the princess had to resist with every ounce of her being the urge to cry for water.

The fourth bite was dry as chalk, and no matter how much she licked her lips and swallowed, a dusty, scratchy feeling lingered in her throat.

By this point the princess' will had begun to flag. The portion she had consumed was so tiny, and there was yet so much in front of her.

But as she despaired, she thought of the boy she loved, and the horrors he had to be enduring, and her face grew determined.

Quickly, she continued her meal, and before long the plate stood empty.

The princess gave a look of triumph to the Silent Maiden, while at the same time fighting the urge to retch.

The Silent Maiden bowed once. "You are indeed most devoted. As promised, I shall tell you where the boy has been taken."

And so she told the princess of a laboratory, filled to the brim with all manner of fantastic devices and technology. And after that she nodded and said that if the princess allowed it, she would accompany the princess and see that she and the boy were reunited.

The princess was happy to accept her aid, and so the two of them journeyed to this laboratory.

And thus, she came to the Laboratory, and within the confines of the place was the Amber-Eyed Witch, standing at a bank of computers and typing too fast for the eye to follow.

"Where is the one I love?" the princess demanded as she entered the chamber.

"… He is no longer here," the Amber-Eyed Witch pouted. "He has been taken from me."

"Then where is he?"

"You would continue to track him?" the Amber-Eyed Witch laughed. "Such foolishness! If he is gone from your life, then he is best forgotten."

"Sister, you should not mock the princess' devotion," the Silent Maiden said. "It was enough to let her overcome my trial."

"Oh ho! You have enlisted the aid of my sister, have you?" the Amber-Eyed Witch laughed. "That is interesting. Dear princess, you may have impressed my sister with your display of devotion, but I am afraid I find such things rather dull."

"Well then," the princess said confidently. "What would you have me do instead?"

"I would test your cunning," the Amber-Eyed Witch's eyes gleamed with delight. "If you wish to seek the boy out, then solve the puzzles I set for you."

At this the princess found herself alarmed, for though the boy had taught her much about the world, he was nowhere near done, and she found herself wondering if she could truly surpass this challenge."

"Do not be alarmed," the Silent Maiden bowed. "For I know my sister. And though she is indeed cunning, she is also predictable. Together, we shall solve any question she may set for us."

With a flourish, the Amber-Eyed Witch activated one of the many computers in the laboratory, and told the princess to solve the questions within.

And now the princess despaired, for the questions were many, filled with all many of clever wordings and large numbers, and she found herself quite unable to solve even a single one of them.

"Are you defeated so soon?" the Amber-Eyed Witch mocked. "How shameful!"

"No," the princess insisted. "I am not!" And it was true, for in that instant, the answers to all the questions laid before her began flashing on the screen, and the questions were soon solved without incident.

"But how?" the Amber-Eyed Witch gasped.

"You were careless, Sister," the Silent Maiden said. "You left all the answers on another computer, and I simply had to send them over."

"But that is cheating!" the Amber-Eyed Witch declared.

"It is not," the Silent Maiden shook her head. "It is cunning; simply one of a manner you were not expecting."

And though the Amber-Eyed Witch was angry, she remained true to her word.

And so she told the princess of a church on a hilltop, its doors barred to all but with the scent of curry forever wafting about the vicinity. And then she laughed and said that she would accompany the princess too, for even if the boy could not be hers, she could find others on their journey to serve as test subjects.

And so, with two companions in tow, the princess set off once more.

And thus, she came to the Church, and within the confines of the place was the Mistress of Curry, sitting silently on a pew, tucking into a bowl of spices and vegetables.

"Where is the one I love?" the princess demanded as she entered the room.

"… He is no longer here," the Mistress of Curry said angrily. "He has been taken from me."

"Then where is he?"

"I have no reason to tell you, princess," the Mistress of Curry declared angrily. "For you and the boy do not belong together."

"That is not for you to decide," the princess replied. "If he desires to be by my side, then who are you to say otherwise?"

"Say what you will," the Mistress of Curry declared. "I shall not reveal his location to you."

At this, the anger in the princess' heart was inflamed, and she stepped forward clenching her fist. "You would dare test my strength?" she demanded.

"I do not fear you!" was the reply, and the battle was joined.

Later, as the dust settled around the ruins of the church, the princess stood, breathing heavily as she beheld her defeated foe.

"Now, tell me where he is!" she demanded.

"Defeating me changes nothing," the Mistress of Curry said sourly. "I will not tell you."

And now the princess found herself at an impasse, for she could see no way to coax this information out of the Mistress of Curry.

"Worry not," came the cheerful voice of the Amber-Eyed Witch. "For I have divined where the boy was taken!"

"What?" sputtered the Mistress of Curry. "But how!"

"It is a simple matter for one as cunning as me," said the Amber-Eyed Witch. "I merely stole your cell phone and read through the messages within. Within it you had detailed your plans to venture to a certain mansion only just recently. Do you deny that the boy will be there?"

The Mistress of Curry could only sputter in anger.

And so it was that the princess learnt of a mansion, grand and elegant, where none ventured. And so she made to leave for the mansion. Meanwhile, the Mistress of Curry grumbled that she refused to trust the princess to be left to her own devices and would come along to ensure that nothing untoward occurred.

And so, with three companions in tow, the princess set off once more.

And thus, she came to the Mansion, and within the confines of the place was the Crimson-Locked Demon, arms folded, eyes glaring at the intruders.

"Where is the one I love?" the princess demanded as she entered the room.

"He is with me," the Crimson-Locked Demon answered. "But you cannot have him. No one can. He is mine, forever and ever."

At this statement the princess' heart leapt, for now she knew the boy she loved was here, and she would soon be reunited with him.

"If you do not give him to me, I will simply take him back," the princess said confidently to the Crimson-Locked Demon.

The air around the Crimson-Locked Demon began to heat as the two prepared for battle – only for them to be interrupted by a shout from the Mistress of Curry.

"Would it not be best to let the boy decide?"

At this, both the Crimson-Locked Demon and the princess paused, for both of them believed in their hearts that they would be the one chosen in the end.

And so they agreed to bring the boy out and to let him decide.

But when they threw open the door to his room, he was not there!

There was panic amongst them, for the boy had disappeared, and he was nowhere to be found.

All through the night, they searched, with the Mistress of Curry accusing the Crimson-Locked Demon of being careless, and the Crimson-Locked Demon accusing the Amber-Eyed Witch of having ferreted him away.

Only the princess stood silent, looking at the room the boy she loved had been kept in. She noted the cut ropes, and the open window, the lock severed with a neatness only the finest of machines could replicate.

And then she left the mansion.

And so it was that she returned to a house in a city in the far corner of the world. And as she threw open the door, she beheld a boy, head bowed from exhaustion, resting in the centre of the living room, an old knife clutched in his hand.

"Where is the one I love?" the princess demanded as she entered the room.

And the boy looked up and smiled. "He is here," was his answer.

And with a glad shout, she leapt forward, drawing him into a hug and a kiss, which the boy joyfully returned.

And from then on, they were never to be parted again.

And the boy and the princess

Lived

Happily

Ever

After

* * *

"The end," she concluded as she sat back in the chair, patting her lap.

"Mm…" a soft sigh came from the bed beside her. "Mommy?"

"What is it?" Arcueid turned to look down at her daughter.

"You tell the best bedtime stories."

A soft chuckle came from her throat and she leaned down to kiss her daughter on the forehead. "I know," she whispered. "But don't let your father know you said that."

A sleepy smile was her only reply.

"Good night, sweetheart."

"Good night, mommy."

And standing, Arcueid turned and left the room, pausing only to flip the light off on the way out.

* * *

Well, what do you think?

Next: Hunters in the Dark (for real this time)


	26. Hunters in the Dark

The World of the Moon

* * *

Twenty Six: Hunters in the Dark

I wanted to try a slightly different kind of story for this. Less fluff all around.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

"What is it with Dead Apostles and castles?" Shiki muttered to himself as he continued sneaking through the darkened corridors of the ruined bastion. "Is it a requirement for getting into the club or something?"

Briefly, he remembered one of Arcueid's lectures on the subject as she explained how this was a hobby amongst vampires, as they played at being lords with their own territories and spheres of influence.

Worse yet was that this particular Apostle apparently had enough influence to have gathered quite a number of minions to his name, whether through draining the blood of helpless victims or being powerful enough to convince others to join him.

This, of course, made the whole affair somewhat more complicated. Simply hunting down this particular Dead Apostle would leave the world with one less bloodsucker, but the several dozen vampires and Living Dead that could potentially become vampires would still be problems that would need to be dealt with. Before, Arcueid had generally left any of the stragglers like thee Dead to their own devices after dispatching the head, apparently secure in the belief that the Church would come and clean up properly after her.

But now she had agreed that leaving them alive to continue preying on humans for longer than necessary, even for a couple of days, wasn't acceptable.

A far cry from the days when she hunted vampires simply because it was what she had been told to do.

Of course, that had led directly to more work for Shiki.

_"So, you sneak in and head straight for the head vampire, Bra... Brannagh?"_

_"Brauner."_

_"Yeah, that. I'll draw the rabble away from you, maybe lure them into a place where I can take them on too."_

_"There's a lot of rabble. You want to lure all of them at once? That's going to take a lot of work."_

_"Oh, don't worry about that," she beamed. "I'm good at noisy."_

All in all, he supposed it was an acceptable trade off.

* * *

Her reputation could be a bit of a problem at times. Sometimes it manifested in several of the Dead Apostle Ancestors deciding that enough was enough and sending someone after her, like that incident with Nrvnsqr Chaos back when she had just met Shiki. That had been annoying.

Sometimes, though, they problem appeared in the opposite direction – such as now. If she were to make her presence known, the various minions and underlings of the Dead Apostle holed up in here would mostly likely flee as fast as possible. She didn't doubt her ability to hunt them down, of course, but it would end up wasting her time and energy, as well as increasing the possibility that at least one of them would get away and continue infecting other people.

There was always the Church to clean up, of course, but in Arcueid's none-too-humble opinion, the less she had to deal with their involvement, the better.

Well, there were always ways around problems. The various vampires involved would probably be more than willing to handle what they believed to be an ordinary intruder, so that was what she would pretend to be.

Arcueid had never developed any particular talent for sensing the magic used by humans and Dead Apostles because she'd never really needed it. But she still knew enough to sense the wards the Dead Apostle had strewn all about the Castle to warn him of any who approached.

Silently, she wondered if he could tell that Shiki had already killed one of those wards, effectively creating a blind spot around the western side of the castle and allowing him to sneak in undetected. Even if this Brauner suspected that there was an intruder, he couldn't _know._

As for her own entry…

Winding her fist up, Arcueid delivered a punch straight into the wall, and with a sound vaguely like a thunderclap a hole about twice her size was blown open, allowing her unfettered access into the heart of the castle.

Now came the slightly more tricky part. No doubt this would alert any present within the walls and send them running to deal with the intruder. Now she had to continue to lead them on without letting them know just who she was so as to prevent a rout. Either that or take them out in small groups so they wouldn't know just who had decided to approach them.

With a confident nod, Arcueid ventured into the darkened hallways of the castle.

* * *

The stench of blood was everywhere, Shiki thought distantly as he continued his slow advance through the hallways of the castle. Not that it was something particularly surprising, but it was still a sobering reminder of the nature of inhabitants of the place.

Silently, he pondered how well Arcueid had been doing. Assuming she'd kept to their schedule, she should be busy rampaging through the castle, causing all the underlings to run and try to figure out just what was going on. Would the smell of blood affect her too? She'd recovered a lot of control after he'd gotten her the blood fruit of Einnashe, but he still couldn't shake the feeling of something going _wrong_ now that they were in the heart of the enemy's territory.

Then again it wasn't like this would be the first time she'd assaulted a Dead Apostle stronghold.

He could trust Arcueid.

On that pleasing thought, he rounded the corner and came face to face with the room he had left two minutes ago. He recognized that incredibly tacky suit of armour immediately.

_There were no sharp bends that would have allowed me to get into this room._ Shiki's eyes narrowed. _If that's the case, that the only explanation is magic._

A spatial distortion field of some kind? Raising his knife, Shiki glanced around quickly, looking for the telltale signs of him being trapped in a bounded field of some kind. He wasn't an expert on magic by any means, but this was the sort of basic knowledge one had to pick up if they were going to make a habit of hunting Dead Apostles.

Or they could go the 'monstrously powerful' route like Arcueid had. That worked too.

No use. Even after several long seconds Shiki couldn't find any sign of the bounded field's… well, boundaries. Which meant that he wouldn't know where he would end up if he ended up walking in any particular direction. Even staying still wasn't any guarantee that his location wasn't shifting.

Well, there were always alternatives. This would shoot the 'stealthy approach' method to straight hell, but all in all it was a trade he was willing to make.

Spotting a point of death on the floor, Shiki took a single step over and stabbed down.

* * *

Things were going well so far, Arcueid noted, as she continued ducking through the corridors of the castle. She'd run into three separate groups who had come to check up on what the ruckus and noise was all about, and all three had been small enough for Arcueid to ensure that none of them escaped.

Of course this would lead to the other people in the premises being more wary of whatever it was that was stalking them. The large and rather messy bloodstains that now adorned several sections of the place probably weren't helping either.

Breaking down a door, Arcueid stepped into a what appeared to be a rather large and elaborate dining chamber. The elegance of the furnishings was somewhat marred by the desiccated human corpse lain on the table and Arcueid wrinkled her nose in distaste. Evidently the Dead Apostle had finished his meal and his servants had not yet gotten around to cleaning up after him.

A shuffling sound came from the far end of the room, and Arcueid frowned as she caught sight of multiple Dead lurching at her. These mindless puppets wouldn't have the cognitive ability necessary to discover how powerless they were before her, which allowed her to fight as wildly as she pleased.

A grim determination on her face, she extended her claws and leaped forward.

An instant later, the entire floor above her shuddered as walls and part of the ceiling crumbled away into dust and rubble, the falling stones crushing many of the Dead under their weight. From the crumbling stone a dark shape emerged – Shiki, jumping from falling rock to falling rock in an attempt to not get crushed by the debris. A large chunk of stone fell towards Arcueid and she tossed it to the side with a casual sweep of her hand, shattering it into fragments as she did so.

Finally, he landed on the ground in a crouch as Arcueid reached over to kill the last of the Dead that had escaped being flattened, and an uneasy silence descended on the two of them as they looked at each other.

"I thought you were supposed to do your part quietly," Arcueid finally ventured.

"I ran into some trouble," Shiki said noncommittally.

"So, what, do we split up again, or…?" as she spoke, Arcueid kept her sense on alert, trying to sense if any lesser vampires or the Dead Apostle would be approaching.

"I don't know. I ran into a bounded field, I guess that means either the Dead Apostle knew we were here or he's paranoid," Shiki ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe both."

Arcueid craned her neck, looking up to see the extent of the damage. If she leaned _juuuust_ so, she could make out the night sky far overhead and the twinkling of stars.

"Sheesh, just what exactly did you stab, Shiki?"

"I thought it was the point of the death for the second floor."

"It looks more like for the entire eastern half of the castle," Arcueid shot a glance at Shiki. "Weren't you supposed to have killed Louvre so silently you got past Enhance and a Mage Association army without either of them knowing?"

"No battle plan survives contact with the enemy… or something like that," Shiki shrugged. "Come on. He might have tried to run in the meantime."

"Somehow, I doubt it," Arcueid said as they began walking through one of the intact doorways. The rabble, maybe, but the Dead Apostle of a Castle or a territory have a _thing_ about never leaving the place. I guess it would be considered a blow to their pride if they were to retreat? I never really understood that, to be honest."

"Speaking of Castles, how did this Castle manage to get set up here without anyone noticing?"

"Oh, people noticed," Arcueid said offhandedly. "Mostly the Church and Atlas and Clock Tower… and me, I guess. It's shielded from view from ordinary humans, and there're enough of these Castles around that I guess a Dead Apostle thought he could go under the radar for a while?"

"He must still be pretty powerful if he managed to claim a castle, right?"

"I guess," Arcueid shrugged. "I mean, before it wasn't something I really paid very much attention to."

And after that the two of them were silent as they continued making their way through the castle.

* * *

With navigation made somewhat harder due to the collapsed Castle (but only somewhat, since in between Shiki's agility and Arcueid's strength they were able to keep up a brisk enough pace.

A few more scattered minor Ghouls and Living Dead were still milling about, but they were dealt with quickly enough, and before long they had ended up in front of what Arcueid could feel as a supernatural presence.

It was the vampire – or at least, Shiki hoped it was.

"I'll go first," Arcueid said without preamble, and blew the door down with a single swipe of her claws, before charging into the room.

Or at least, she tried to. She leapt forward, but barely appeared to have crossed any distance at all. Shiki's eyes narrowed. The spatial distortion again.

Through the doorway, he could vaguely make out the figure of a man dressed in rich red robes, eyes glittering like fiery coals from an inhumanly pale face.

"The White Princess, here?" he demanded. "But it is no matter. Not even you can break through to reach me, Princess!"

Not wasting time with words, Arcueid swung her arm out, letting a ripple of energy pass through the air – which twisted away to crash into the ceiling.

"I see," Arcueid finally said after a silence. "A bending of the space of reality to prevent or force movement – it's not on the level of the Second Magic, but approaching it."

"No matter how powerful you are, you are forced to operate within the realm of the physical," the Dead Apostle was acting uncommonly smug for someone located in the same room as Arcueid, Shiki decided. He supposed that he would be able to pull off the same trick to get him out of the room instantly, so he probably felt secure in his position.

"Shiki," Arcueid said. "Kill something."

Theoretically Shiki could concentrate hard enough to see the death of the magic that now filled the room, but doing so had a nasty tendency to cause his eyes to bleed and be rendered unusable for several days – not something Shiki particularly desired. And besides, it appeared Arcueid already had a plan in mind, so…

A point of death on the wall right next to him. Almost without conscious thought, Shiki stabbed it.

The rumbling sound as the other half of the castle began to collapse was somewhat satisfying. The floor giving way from under him, decidedly less so. With a light tap of his feet, Shiki jumped into the air, avoiding a chunk of falling stone as it careened down at him. As it passed, Shiki slashed at it, splitting it apart.

Meanwhile, the vampire Brauner appeared to have been disoriented by the sudden destruction of the castle – and somewhat more relevantly, that there were now several hundred objects shifting and warping at random through his bounded field, rendering everything a confused mess.

He focused, stabilizing the space around him for a brief moment – and it was in that moment that Arcueid, hovering in the air nearby, struck.

Eyes shining golden, she brought her hand forward – and blades of howling wind formed in the space all around the Dead Apostle, tearing him to shreds in a second. Watching from his vantage point of crumbling stone, Shiki was briefly reminded of the time he had seen her do almost the same thing to Roa – and how much more powerful this casually summoned blast of wind was compared to the backbreaking effort that had consumed her life back then.

Closing her eyes, Arcueid breathed out, letting the wind disperse and the blood spattered remains of the Dead Apostle fall to the ground.

And then a chunk of falling masonry struck her square on the head.

Not pausing to see Arcueid's reaction (he could hear her annoyed grunt anyway), Shiki switched his focus to jumping across the falling stones and until he could find safe purchase on the ground.

* * *

"Well, that's that."

"Yeah," Arcueid nodded once. "I wasn't really expecting to level the whole castle, but I guess it's not a big deal either way."

A single forlorn tower stood in the distance, apparently having not been affected by either of Shiki's sudden killings. It was all that remained of what had once been the bastion of a Dead Apostle.

"Are we done here?" Shiki questioned is he reached into the pocket of his jacket, drawing out the bandages he used to cover his eyes when they weren't needed.

"I suppose. I mean, there might still be Dead and Ghouls around, but if there are they'll be trapped under the rubble," Arcueid continued. "I guess we can leave this to the Church for cleanup."

"Ah, True Ancestor! And… Tohno-kun?"

"Speak of the devil," and Arcueid whirled to face a familiar dark shape that had emerged from the woods around the castle. "Hiya, Ciel! How are things?"

"What are you – why is the entire castle…"

"Well, we already killed the Dead Apostle. That's the hard part out of the way, so I guess I can leave the rest to you," Arcueid gave Ciel a cheery wave and grabbed a hold of Shiki's arm. "Take care, Ciel!"

"Ah! Wait! You have-" anything else Ciel was about to say was swallowed up in nothing as Arcueid tore a hole through the air to bring them back to the outskirts of the Millennium Castle.

"Should we have left behind like that?"

"Oh, come on. You know if we'd stuck around we'd end up with another hour of questions and debriefing," Arcueid paused. "And maybe she'd try to fight me again anyway. You know how it is."

Shiki sighed. "You should get along better with her, Arc."

"I'll think about it," she said flippantly. "But for now… we work together pretty well, don't we, Shiki?"

Shiki smiled and nodded as he reached up to retie the bandages around his eyes. "I guess we do, Arcueid. I guess we do."

* * *

Thank you for reading.

Next: Tea for Two


	27. Tea for Two

The World of the Moon

* * *

Twenty Seven: Tea for Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

"Akiha-sama, your tea." Kohaku smiled as she lifted the cup from the tray, placing it delicately on the small table in front of her.

"Thank you, Kohaku," briefly lifting her eyes from the book she was reading, Akiha nodded. "That will be all."

As she lifted one hand to lift the porcelain cup from the saucer, Akiha paused to take a look around the Tohno mansion's garden.

The sun shone brightly in the brilliant blue sky overhead - perfect weather, and part of the reason why she had chosen to take her afternoon tea out here instead of in the dining room or her bedroom as usual.

As a consequence, Akiha was in a better mood than had been in for most of the week - of late, complications with running the Tohno group's holdings had left her feeling particularly drained, and a chance to relax and unwind was most welcome.

Now, if only her brother were here to relax with her, the situation would be all but perfect.

"Hey, Little Sister! Fancy meeting you out here!"

And there went her good mood. Resisting the urge to frown, she shifted her gaze to look at the newcomer to what was supposed to be a private tea party.

One Arcueid Brunestud, complete with eternally cheery smile, shining golden hair, eyes the colour of rubies, and the body that Akiha would be willing to kill for.

"Arcueid," Akiha nodded cordially. "Nii-san isn't here right now."

"Oh, I know that!" Arcueid laughed. "He's still in school right now, isn't he? I just had some free time and decided to come hang out here."

"When do you ever not have free time?" Akiha muttered under her breath.

Regardless, it was true that Arcueid had come over rather frequently - Akiha didn't really feel like getting into an argument with Shiki over whether or not the vampire was allowed to enter the mansion unannounced. Not only was she not sure that it was argument she could actually win, but she didn't need to add any bad blood between her and Shiki right now.

And so, Akiha sighed and bundled her own feelings into a ball, as she always did. She shoved those feelings into a tiny corner of her heart, as she always did. And she put on a tiny, tolerant smile, as she always did.

"Well," she said out loud. "I'm not going to stop you. Do what you like."

Her hope that Arcueid would take this as a hint to leave her alone was quickly dashed as Arcueid promptly grabbed the other chair at the table and plopped herself down opposite her.

"... What are you doing?" Akiha muttered, already dreading the answer.

"Oh, I though I could come spend some quality time with you, Little Sister!" Arcueid beamed. "I thought you looked a little lonely, so that's why I joined you here. It's not good to be alone, is it?"

Resisting the urge to let out a very long and very deep sigh (Arcueid being Arcueid, she wouldn't get the hint anyway), Akiha muttered, "No, I suppose not," a thought struck her and she turned to face Arcueid. "Would you like some tea?"

"Thanks! Don't mind if I do."

Raising her hand, Akiha signalled for Kohaku to approach, and she sat back to endure what promised to be a long, painful afternoon.

* * *

The two of them sat, side by side, sipping at their cups as the afternoon wore on. Conversation was minimal, mostly limited to Arcueid's comments on how pretty this or that aspect of the Tohno garden, which Akiha usually agreed with – Kohaku knew her way around the gardens, and she had been handling them for several years now. Whenever they were on the verge of finishing their drinks Kohaku would appear as if by magic to top up the cups with a fresh batch of steaming tea.

Akiha was just beginning to think that this might be a somewhat tolerable session after all when Arcueid placed her teacup on the table and turned to her.

"Yes, what is it?" Akiha questioned although a part of her told her that by opening her mouth she was going down a deep, dark path.

"Is it hard?"

Akiha stared blankly at Arcueid for a long moment. "Is what hard?" She finally asked.

"Being you," Arcueid shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, Shiki always talks about how you're always busy and you're never really at home except in the mornings before he goes to school."

_Nii-san… Nii-san thinks I'm spending too much time at work?_ That Shiki was worried about her warmed Akiha's heart, although she was nonetheless slightly annoyed that this information had to come via Arcueid, whom Shiki had apparently been confiding in.

"Well, my position as head of the Tohno household demands this of me," Akiha said, her voice noncommittal. "It's the life I have been brought up in, and I accept it."

_It is the life I was trained to live._

"What about you, then?" Akiha questioned, seeking to change the subject. "You're supposed to be a princess, aren't you?" _Not that you ever act like it._

"Well, True Ancestor society isn't… wasn't much like human society," Arcueid said as she took a long sip from her cup. "Being a princess in there wasn't much like being nobility here. My only responsibility to was to hunt down the Dead Apostles and Demon Lords."

"Sounds hard," Akiha said without much meaning behind it.

"Well, someone had to do it, and I was bred to be that one" a soft thump as Arcueid leaned back in her chair. "I never really questioned it when I was brought up. It was all I knew."

Akiha herself remained silent as she took in Arcueid's words. "But that's not all you know now, is it?" she asked, softly.

"No, I guess not," the True Ancestor scratched at her forehead. "It's still a job I have to do, of course, but for now, I guess I can relax. But what about you?"

"What about me?" Akiha shrugged.

"I mean, you don't relax very often, do you?"

"I'm relaxing right now," _or at least I was until you showed up… somewhat_. Akiha resisted the urge to sigh, replacing it instead with a sip.

"More tea, Akiha-sama?" Kohaku appeared at her side again, teapot in hand.

"Yes, that would be nice, thank you," Akiha nodded and placed her cup on the table for Kohaku to top up.

"See, that's what I'm talking about," Arcueid said as she handed her own cup to Kohaku to refill.

"What is what you're talking about?"

"You're not relaxed at all," she said, shifting her chair so she could lean closer to Akiha. "You're always sitting up straight, always speaking reserved, always putting that mask on. How can you have fun that way?" Arcueid blinked. "It's not because I'm here, is it? I don't really care about polite behaviour or anything, so you don't need to bother."

"You needn't worry that I would make the effort to behave differently around you," Akiha muttered. If Arcueid got the insult she gave no sign of it, and so Akiha continued. "This is how I behave normally, Arcueid. It's how I was raised."

"I'm just saying – just because it's the way you were raised doesn't mean it's the way it has to be. Don't you know? It's hard to have fun when you're looking dignified."

"What would you know about looking dignified?" Akiha sighed and shook her head.

"… Well, I know I became happier after learning how to let loose and enjoy myself."

Silently, she wondered what Arcueid really meant by that. She still didn't know that much about the blonde woman's history, and to be honest she still didn't really care that much.

"You have your way of living, I have mine. I believe the matter is closed," she said firmly, and Arcueid sighed.

"Have it your way, Little Sister."

"And stop calling…" Akiha trailed off and took a deep breath. "Arcueid."

"Hm?"

"Why do you keep calling me Little Sister?"

"Hm? Didn't we go through this before?" Arcueid chuckled. "I mean, I'm going to marry-"

"Yes, yes," Akiha cut her off. "But whatever our potential relations in the future, I have a _name_."

"Oh?" Arcueid blinked and looked uncommonly puzzled. "But calling you that sounds more affectionate, doesn't it?"

_I don't particularly want affection from you, Arcueid._ Biting her tongue, Akiha replaced the retort with a drink from her teacup.

"You… don't like me calling you that?" Arcueid ducked her head to look at Akiha, making her look uncommonly like a little kid.

Akiha debated the merits of simply telling Arcueid 'yes' and getting it over with. But instead she let out a very long, low breath in an attempt to keep her temper in check.

"Do you _like_ calling me that?" she asked instead.

To her surprise, a wide smile blossomed on Arcueid's face. "Yeah! I mean, it shows our relationship off rather well, doesn't it?" she trailed off and looked to the ground. "Plus, well…"

Akiha raised an eyebrow. "Plus?"

Arcueid smiled slightly. "Plus, well… I always wanted to have a little sister."

Akiah sputtered, nearly inhaling her tea in the process. After an extended coughing fit lasting several long seconds, she turned to look at Arcueid. "Pardon?"

"You heard me," the vampire shrugged. "I never had a real family before. And well, I guess I wondered what it would be like. Having someone younger who'd look up to me and ask me things and someone I could spend time with… you know, stuff like that. Especially after seeing what Hisui and Kohaku are like. I think it'd be nice, having that kind of relationship with someone."

"Shall I point out that you've done very little that would let me look up to you about?" Akiha said archly. "And I'm not sure any relationship where Kohaku is involved is one you want to emulate."

Arcueid chuckled. "Hey, Little Sister?"

"What?"

"Do you think you could call me Nee-san?"

Fortunately Akiha didn't have any tea in her mouth at that moment, but she still managed to nearly choke anyway. When her coughing fit had subsided, she turned to glare at Arcueid. "_No_."

"… Oh. Okay." Arcueid sighed and slumped back in her chair, a disappointed expression on her face.

Silence descended on the two of them once more as they continued to sit and wait in the sun.

* * *

"Arcueid."

"…"

Akiha sighed and leaned over to shake the sleeping vampire on the shoulder. "Arcueid, wake up."

"Mm?" the vampire stretched and shook her head as she returned to wakefulness. "Whuzzat?"

"You fell asleep," Akiha said shortly. "It's evening already."

"Oh…" slumping forward, Arcueid rubbed at her eyes sleepily. "Sorry. The sun makes me drowsy."

"It's fine," Akiha muttered. "But I needed to go off already, so I decided to wake you first."

"Oh. 'Kay." Standing, Arcueid yawned and stretched, unintentionally giving Akiha a very generous view of her chest as she did so.

"I trust you can see your own way out."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Arcueid clapsed her hands behind her back and leaned forward. "Hey, by the way, Little Sister?"

"What is it?"

"I really enjoyed spending the afternoon with you," Arcueid smiled. "Let's do it again sometime, okay?"

"…" Akiha closed her eyes and let out a sigh before she turned to look at Arcueid. "Yes, I suppose today wasn't half-bad."

Arcueid flashed another beaming smiled before she took to the skies with a single jump, vanishing from view quickly.

Akiha stood watching for a long moment, and then she turned to head back to the house as the setting sun drenched the surroundings in fiery red.

There was work to be done.

* * *

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this.

Next: CRAB Battle


	28. CRAB Battle: Part One

The World of the Moon

* * *

Twenty Eight: CRAB Battle Part One: Operation CRAB Battle

This was, in fact, one of the very earliest ideas I had when I first decided to do this series of oneshots. However, I decided to hold off until now, in other to build up amongst the other 'humour' stories.

I hope you all enjoy this.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

The room was illuminated by a single light bulb. The walls were bare and unadorned, showing that the walls were made of drab concrete. A single wooden table and several plastic folding chairs were the only furniture within the room.

It was, by any account, a dingy place that most would not want to spend any time in.

And yet Akiha was sitting in one of the chairs, arms folded.

There was, in fact, a very good reason for her to hold the meeting she wanted in this particular place.

If only she knew what it was.

"Remind me, Kohaku," she said to her maid, who was busy rearranging the other chairs in a small circle around the table. "Why did you choose this place when I asked you for a meeting location, again?"

"Why, Akiha-sama!" Kohaku glanced up, a cheery smile on her face. "You want secrecy and privacy for a meeting location, don't you? This way, we won't risk anyone who shouldn't know about the meeting being here!"

"Are you sure we're not risking people who _should_ know about the meeting being here?" Akiha retorted, her arms folded. "It's been fifteen minutes past the agreed meeting time, and no one else is here. Not even Hisui!"

"Fufufufu…" Kohaku chuckled into her sleeve. "Why, Akiha-sama, don't you worry. Everyone we invited has such a large stake in this endeavour that there's no way they'll allow themselves to miss it."

Almost as if on cue, a knock sounded at the door before it swung open to reveal Ciel, clad in the Executor's robes. She marched into the room, giving a cordial nod to Akiha and Kohaku before she settled herself in one of the chairs, arms folding, waiting patiently.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Akiha sat back to wait as well.

* * *

"Is that everyone?" Akiha glanced at Kohaku, who smiled and nodded. "All right then, before we begin our meeting, I think we should do a quick roll call in order to ascertain that we are all present and on the same page. I am Akiha Tohno, chair of the meeting. Kohaku?"

"Present and ready, Akiha-sama!" Kohaku beamed.

"Hisui?"

"Present, Akiha-sama." Hisui murmured from her position beside her sister.

"Curry?"

"My name is _Ciel_."

"I'll take that as a 'Present'. Next… Sion?"

"I am here, Akiha-san. Apologies for being late," the alchemist nodded.

"Present, too!" Riesbyfe raised a hand and chuckled. "Sion guessed I might be useful in the long run, so she brought me."

"I did not _guess_. I calculated-"

"Ahem," Akiha coughed. "I believe that's all of us. Now-"

"Er… excuse me."

"Hm?" Akiha glanced over. "Yes? Did I miss someone?"

Nervously, Satsuki raised her hand. "Yes, me. I'm Satsuki Yumizuka."

"Oh, right, the back alley vampire," Akiha shrugged. "Well, hello. On to busi-"

"Well, actually, I wanted to ask… are there any extra chairs? Because… I've kind of been left standing here."

Akiha blinked. "Kohaku?"

"Sorry, Akiha-sama, but these were all I could bring on short notice."

"Well, that's fine too. You can stand in the corner."

"Eeeh?"

"Anyway, moving on," Akiha cleared her throat. "I trust everyone here knows what we're here for?"

A silence descended on the assembled group, uneasy glances being passed between all members present. Finally, Ciel broke the silence with a cough, "We all want Tohno-kun."

"Yes, that's true," Akiha nodded again. "And under ordinary circumstances, we'd all be competing for his attention. However, today I have called us together because we share a common foe."

"The True Ancestor," Sion said once, and a ripple of agreement passed through everyone present.

"That's right. She has already wormed her way into Nii-san's heart. Her and her stupid vapid laugh and tacky blonde hair and ridiculously oversized chest that bounce like volleyballs every time she so much as jumps! I bet she does that on purpose so that-" Akiha's rant continued as the roots of her hair began to shine red.

"Akiha-sama?" Kohaku said in a soothing tone as she lay a hand on her mistress' shoulder.

"… Ahem. Right. As I was saying, none of us here stand a chance of winning Nii-san's affections as long as the vampire is present. And that is why I have called this meeting today! Together, wer will plan Operation Cunningly Remove Arcueid Brunestud and rid ourselves of our greatest rival!"

Silence descended on everyone present.

"Cunningly Remove Arcueid Brunestud?" Ciel finally broke the silence.

"I suggested 'Gently Remove Arcueid Brunestud' because I think it makes a better acronym," Kohaku said brightly. "But Akiha-sama didn't like the 'gently' part."

"I cannot imagine why." Sion murmured.

"Man, you guys want to take on the True Ancestor?" Riesbyfe scratched her forehead. "I mean, the Church basically gave up on trying something like that. And the Church doesn't give up easy. I should know."

"That's right," Sion sighed. "The True Ancestor would be able to defeat all of us with ease."

"I could take her." Ciel muttered under her breath.

"Yes, so we'll have to find some other way besides violence," Akiha nodded sagely. "Well then, I'll open the floor to ideas."

"… Hey, Hisui-san, you're a part of this group too, right?" Ciel raised an eyebrow.

Hisui blushed and nodded, refusing to meet Ciel in the eye.

"Aw, don't press Hisui-chan too hard!" Kohaku laughed and clapped her sister on the back. "She still doesn't like admitting she has a crush on Shiki-san!"

"Yes, but that's another matter," Ciel's gaze hardened. "Let's have you cook for Arcueid – a dish so foul that it'll send her back to the pit that she came from! That nearly happened to me after you prepared that curry dish for me the other day!"

Hisui's only response was to lower her head even more as her cheeks blazed scarlet.

"That will not work, Ciel-san," Akiha said sourly. "Arcueid… Arcueid likes Hisui's cooking."

A shocked silence descended on everyone present as they stared in consternation at Akiha.

"Truly… truly a fearsome opponent, the True Ancestor…" Sion mumbled, her eyes wide with shock.

"Well, that's one idea scrapped," Riesbyfe shrugged. "Next?"

"Ask her nicely?" Kohaku smiled. "Maybe she'll be willing to step aside and let one of us aim for Shiki-san's heart!"

"And pigs may fly." Akiha muttered.

"We shall need to be methodical about this," Sion said decisively. "If our final goal is to leave Shiki open in order for one of us to gain his affection, then we should focus our efforts on separating the two."

"Yes, but how? Arcueid and Tohno-kun spend all their free time together, don't they? Even after she got a part time job at that café."

"Kidnap Shiki-san and hold him hostage until he chooses one of us instead of Arcueid?"

"You _would_ suggest something like that, Kohaku."

"Um…" Satsuki said.

"Spread a rumour that there's been a Dead Apostle outbreak in Europe or somewhere? Arcueid would have to leave to track them down…"

"Knowing her she'd just drag Shiki along."

"Well…" Satsuki tried to get everyone's attention a second time, without much success.

"Find some of Zelretch's magic and toss her into an alternate dimension for a while?"

"See, now you're just being silly."

"Um, everyone…?"

"Bribe her with a lifetime's supply of rocky road ice cream to leave the boy alone?"

"Riesbyfe, be serious."

"My fault, sorry. I shouldn't have come to this meeting on an empty stomach."

"Guys!" Satsuki finally shouted. "I know what we can do!"

Everyone finally turned to regard Satsuki, who swallowed, shrinking back slightly now that she had everyone's attention.

"We… we could go get the Anti-Love Potion."

"The Anti…"

"Love…"

"Potion?"

"Uh-huh!" Satsuki nodded enthusiastically. "If two people who love each drink it, they'll fall right out of love with each other immediately! It's the perfect way to separate the two!"

"Nonsense," closing her eyes, Ciel dismissed Satsuki's claim with a shake of her head. "A Conceptual Artefact like that is nothing more than a myth. If it existed the Church would know of it."

"Atlas had records on such an item, of course," Sion nodded once. "But they were all firmly in the categories of unconfirmed myths. I do not think this will be a useful avenue to pursue, Yumizuka-san."

"No, guys!" Satsuki shook her head angrily. "The potion really does exist!"

"Really," Ciel scoffed. "If that's true, then I suppose you must know where it's located too?"

"Right!" Satsuki nodded. "It's located in the treasury of the Great Garden of Cats! White Len told me about it!"

A silence fell across everyone in the room. Those in the know looked varying stages of grave and apprehensive, those who didn't merely raised eyebrows in confusion.

"Even… even so, are you seriously suggesting we intrude on the territory of the Necos?" Ciel said angrily. "If you knew anything about them, you would not be so foolhardy, Yumizuka!"

"The executor is right," Sion nodded. "That is an extremely risky move you're suggesting, Yumizuka-san."

"Maybe! But! But if it's for Tohno-kun's sake, then…!"

Another silence in the room as everyone looked at Yumizuka. Now that she had come out and said it, no one wanted to appear less devoted to the ideal of attaining Shiki than Yumizuka, and so no one wanted to claim that this wasn't worth the risk.

Finally, Kohaku sighed and leaned back in her chair, a smile on her face. "Well, we might try going there. But just where is this Garden located? And how long will it take us to make the trip?"

"… About a week, I think?"

"Eh? Then won't Tohno-kun find something fishy about all of us disappearing for a week?"

"No need to worry about that," Akiha said curtly. "Both Arcueid and Nii-san are gone on trips right now. That's why I felt safe in holding this mission."

"Eh?" Ciel's eyes widened. "But I don't recall Tohno-kun showing up as absent on the class registers…"

"Yes, apparently he had a way to handle that. I'm not sure exactly what it is, though."

* * *

"Yo, Tohno!"

He remained staring out the window, at the stunningly clear blue sky. A grimace marked his face. He could be out there killing something right now instead of being stuck in this classroom. Damn that brat for getting him to come here instead. (He chose to ignore the voice that told him his familiar wouldn't let him be killing things anyway even if he were on the streets now.)

"Hey, Tohno! That still _is_ your name, isn't it?"

He turned back to face the irritant, pushing the glasses up the bridge of his nose as he did so. (And that was the other thing. The glasses were hellishly uncomfortable. How the hell did Tohno put up with wearing them all the time?)

"Yes," he said. "Yes, Shiki Tohno is my name, and that is who I am. I am Shiki Tohno, and not his far cooler and sexier alter ego spawned from his nightmares of what he might have been had he chosen a different, more sensible path in life," a long indulgent sigh. "Curse his studly bones."

"…" Arihiko stared dumbly at him for a long moment before waving his hand and turning away. "Whatever man. I can't deal with your nonsense right now."

Nanaya watched the delinquent stroll out of the classroom before slumping back in his chair, his arms folded.

* * *

"Anyway," Akiha continued. "Back to the matter at hand. I'm not sure where Nii-san and Arcueid are off to – only that they went off alone and not together, but that leaves us with the time we need."

"A visit to the Great Garden of the Cats," Ciel murmured. "Well, this should prove interesting, if nothing else."

"… Well, I'm not opposed in principle," Sion nodded. "However, this will be a difficult journey."

"In that case, the matter is settled," Akiha got to her feet and nodded. "We'll meet tomorrow evening in the gardens of my mansion. In the meantime, I expect everyone to be preparing for this trip to the best of our ability. This is our big chance – we must not fail!"

As Akiha turned and left the room, she leaned over slightly towards Kohaku, who was following up closely behind her. "We've our own plans to make, don't we?"

"Of course, Akiha-sama!" Kohaku nodded. "Our plans to doublecross the others and gain the advantage for ourselves? Leave it all to me!"

"…" Hisui sighed and looked down at the floor.

"You're not feeling guilty, are you, Hisui?" Akiha looked at the quiet made. "Remember, all's fair in love and war."

"I… I understand, Akiha-sama," Hisui nodded. "I shall perform to the best of my ability."

* * *

"Seven. Let's go. We don't have time to waste."

"Hm? Master? Wow, that meeting sure dragged on a lot! What was that all about?"

Ciel's frown deepened as she contemplated the task ahead of her. Infiltrating the Great Garden of the Cats was one thing, but even after they had succeeded in gaining that potion…

Everyone else was still an obstacle to her goal of securing Tohno-kun for herself.

Of all her opponents, her most dangerous after Arcueid would be Akiha. She would stop at _nothing_ to gain her brother's affection, and Ciel was familiar enough with fanaticism to recognize it in others.

And then there was Sion. The Atlas Alchemist would be going over her plans in meticulous detail, Ciel was sure. She would need to ensure that she was taken out of the picture too.

And Kohaku… who knew what that one was planning.

"We'll need to make special preparations, Seven."

"Hm? For what?"

Ciel didn't bother to answer and instead continued walking back to her apartment, her head buzzing with plans.

* * *

"Well, that was a productive meeting, wasn't it, Yumizuka-san, Riesbyfe?"

"You really think so?" Riesbyfe shrugged. "I think it's a pretty harebrained scheme, myself."

"No! It'll work!" Yumizuka clenched her fists. "It _has_ to work! This is my shot at securing Tohno-kun for myself!"

"Heh," Riesbyfe sighed. "You realize that's what everyone else here thought as well? Sion included."

"…" Sion had the graces to look somewhat annoyed.

"Man, with how headstrong all you guys are, I'm surprised you were even able to agree on anything. You really think your alliance will hold up?"

"Of course not."

"Eh?"

"Of course our alliance won't hold. It is merely a temporary one on the basis of a common foe. In fact, I calculate an 86.3 percent chance that our alliance will completely disintegrate before we have even achieved our goal of obtaining that potion," Sion said calmly. "However, until that happens, I have every intention of making use of their talents, as they no doubt intend to make use of ours."

"Well, sounds like you're prepared for one big messy punchup," Riesbyfe rubbed the back of her head. "I hope you know what you're doing, Sion."

"… You don't need to come if you don't want to, Riesbyfe," Sion pointed out. "Unlike the rest of us, you don't have a personal stake in this."

Riesbyfe chuckled. "What, and leave two friends in the lurch. Come on, Sion. It's not like I had anything else on my plate at the moment."

"Right!" Yumizuka smiled at Riesbyfe. "Thanks! Thanks for your help," and then she turned to Sion. "… May the best girl win, Sion."

"Indeed," Sion smiled back. "Well then, let us be on our way. We've much to do before we are ready for this adventure."

* * *

Far away, in what might not even be the same planet as the one Akiha and the others were on right now…

"How much further?" Shiki mumbled as he staggered through the waist-deep snow.

"Not very," came the calm voice. "Let's keep moving."

"You know, you said it 'wasn't much farther either' twenty minutes ago," Shiki pointed out somewhat grumpily as he continued his trek. Then again, given that he was tired, cold, sore and hungry, he had silently decided that he could be forgiven unpleasant behaviour right now.

"Well, I must admit I'm no longer very good at judging distances," a calm chuckle. "When one has the ability to appear wherever they want in the blink of an eye, such skills tend to be wasted and wither away."

"… If you could make us appear wherever so easily, why have me walk through the snow like this?"

"My dear boy, you should consider yourself grateful I brought you as far as I did with my sorcery. It was only because you told me this was for my granddaughter that I deigned to aid you," the smile never left Zelretch's face. "For her sake, such a trifling hike is no problem at all, is it?"

There was no direct reply from the boy, but Zelretch's sharp ears could hear several almost-inaudible mutters coming from the boy, including the words 'troll', 'smartass', and 'old fart'. His smile only widened.

"In any case, we really _are_ almost there," lifting his cane, he pointed with it towards the distance. "See that cave? With the red glow coming out of it? That's it."

Shiki raised his eyes, and he could indeed see a warm light pouring out from a cavern. With a renewed burst of strength, he moved forward ahead of Zelretch, crossing the distance and ducking into the cavern.

All around him sparkled hundreds of shining gems. In all of them a fiery radiance shone in their centre, a living flame that never faded or waned.

"A cache of firestar crystals," Zelretch said from behind Shiki as he ducked into the cavern. "One of the absolute last of their kind. Well then, find one that you think will be suitable. Don't worry, we've plenty of time."

With a nod to Zelretch, Shiki began to move further into cave, examining each of the crystals carefully, seeking to find the perfect one. Meanwhile, standing in the entrance, Zelretch shook his head.

"Young love." He muttered.

* * *

"Is everyone ready?" Akiha questioned the rest of the girls gathered around her. Brief murmurs of agreement came from the people assembled, and Akiha nodded in satisfaction.

"Then, let us move out! Let Operation CRAB commence!"

"… Can we call it something else?"

* * *

Yes, this is a multi-part story. I have debased the very idea of my own fic. I am so ashamed.

Next: CRAB Battle Part Two: The Great Cat Garden Offensive


	29. CRAB Battle: Part Two

The World of the Moon

* * *

Twenty Nine: CRAB Battle Part Two: The Great Cat Garden Offensive

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

The journey to the Great Garden of Cats was a hazardous one, fraught with dangers of all kinds. Long was their journey through harrowing dangers of all kinds. But nevertheless they matched all the trials they faced, until finally they had approached the entrance to the Great Garden. Tomorrow morning they would be within the territory of the enemy, and so, on the last night, they sat around the campfire, talking about what each considered the worst part of their journey so far.

"Definitely the sharks," Akiha muttered. "The ones that shot lasers from their eyes."

"Those carnivorous man-eating plants," Kohaku sighed. "They're so much better than the ones I have back in the garden."

"The Cavern of the Thousand and One Horrible Dangers," Hisui said. "It was absolutely filthy."

"The Institute of Balanced Diet Regimens," Ciel insisted, her arms folded. "There is no such thing as an excess of curry!"

"The Island of Giant Monsters," Sion said. "Especially after they tried to eat Riesbyfe."

"It's fine!" Riesbyfe said brightly. "I apparently didn't taste that good anyway."

"I think it had something more to do with you stabbing them with Gamaliel," Satsuki pointed out. "From inside their mouths."

"Well, that too, I guess."

"Anyway, I think the worst trial we had to go through was the one where we had to stand with our arms stretched out and holding a glass of water in each hand for two minutes," everyone turned to stare at her. "What? It was really hard!"

"Don't you have super strength?"

"... Well, it was still hard!"

"Hahaha..." Kohaku chuckled and clapped her hands together. "In any case, that's all behind us. Tomorrow morning, the Great Garden of the Cats!"

"Yes, that's likely to be worse than any of horrors we've experienced so far," Ciel said, her expression hard. "We shall all need to work together in order to achieve what we set out to do."

"Yes," Akiha murmured. "Work together..." she gave a meaningful glance at Kohaku, which resulted in her missing the meaningful glance that Sion and Satsuki had shared and the meaningful glance Ciel had given Seven. (Seven, for obvious reasons, did not return that glance.)

"In that case, we should turn in early tonight," Sion nodded. "We have a trying journey ahead of us tomorrow."

That was something they could all agree on, and so after a few shared goodnights, they each retired to their own tents.

As Akiha settled down to sleep, she idly wondered what the True Ancestor was doing right now.

* * *

"The bicentennial gathering of the Types inhabiting this solar system will now commence," Type Jupiter rapped his gavel on the table, which had the rather unfortunate side effect of smashing the table into wood chips and tearing a giant, gaping chasm straight through the assembly room. None of the Types present so much as blinked. "First order of business, the roll call. Type Uranus, if you would do the honours?"

"Very well. Ahem... let us see here... ORT, Type Mercury?"

"PRESENT." ORT raised one of his limbs, with the unfortunate side effect of destroying most of the ceiling. No one reacted, save for Arcueid reaching up to brush a piece of dry plaster off her shoulder.

"V/V, Type Venus?"

"I'm here! Do you want me to play guitar to welcome-"

"No, that will be fine. Arcueid, Archetype Earth?"

"Present," Arcueid mumbled as she suppressed the urge to yawn. "Just hurry up and finish. I want to go home."

Ignoring that remark, Type Uranus continued down the list. "Brunestud, Type Moon?"

"Sure, HE gets to be called Type Moon. What about any of me? I have sixty two moons, none of them get to be called Type Moon. That's just discrimination, it is..."

"The floor requests silence for the duration of the roll call. Brunestud, Type Moon?"

"Present," Arcueid raised her hand again.

"... You can't be both Archetype Earth and Type Moon. We've been through this."

"Look, he's got his soul fragment things inside me which means he's present here... sort of. Or, or you can just mark him as Absent or whatever. We've been doing this stupid song and dance for the past eight hundred years, you know."

"Very well, let me just mark it down as 'extenuating circumstances'," Type Uranus mumbled.

Meanwhile, Type Mars leaned over slightly so he could whisper in Type Venus' ear, "Is it just me, or does Archetype Earth look more... animated to you?"

Type Venus shrugged.

* * *

"So this is the place?"

They stood over an archway made from some kind of stone that Sion could not readily identify. Beyond it lay a row of buildings that almost looked like houses. The roads were curved and twisted, looking more like something out of the mind of Lewis Carroll than an ordinary street.

"The entrance to the Great Garden of Cats…" nodding, Ciel took a deep breath. "This will not be an easy fight."

"Regardless, we cannot simply stand here and do nothing," Sion nodded. "We should prepare to advance."

"Hey, uh…" Satsuki scratched her head nervously. "Does this place look a little… deserted to anyone?"

"The Necos are not large in number," Ciel pointed out as she took a step forward. "Not seeing them randomly does not indicate anything. Everyone, stay on guard."

Akiha took a deep breath and stepped forward, "For Nii-san!" And bellowing that as a battle cry, she charged.

Unfortunately, she wasn't paying enough attention, because if she was she might have noticed the wind picking up all of a sudden.

"Akiha-san, look ou-" Sion's warning went unheard as gale force winds suddenly swept through the landscape, grabbing and tossing away anyone who didn't have any sort of anchorage – which was most of them."

_Stay calm._ Quickly, Sion scanned her surroundings as she was tossed into the air like a ragdoll. _There!_ A hook attached to a stable enough beam, and she stretched her hand out, shooting nearly invisible strands of etherlite to secure herself to the hook. Craning her neck, she caught sight of another struggling figure in the distance, although she had flashed by too quickly for Sion to see exactly who it was.

No matter. Swinging her other hand other, Sion reached out and fired off another strand of etherlite, catch onto the person and keeping them in the vicinity.

As for the rest, though, she was helpless to save them and could only watch as they were blown away.

Finally, the wind subsided, and Sion dropped to the ground, breathing heavily. Several long seconds passed before she thought to look at the other person she had managed to save just a moment ago.

It was Kohaku.

* * *

"Nnh…" Satsuki moaned as she sat up. "My _head_…"

"Your head?" Ciel grumbled. "What about my _neck!_ When that wind started up you wrapped your arms around me so tightly I thought I would choke!"

"S – sorry… I kinda panicked."

Standing, Ciel dusted herself off and aimed a glare at Satsuki. "Don't forget I'm not supposed to tolerate your existence. So don't push your luck."

Suppressing a squeak of fright, Satsuki pulled herself to her feet as well and glanced around the place. "Where… where are we?"

They appeared to be in a dry, dusty valley with no sign of life as far as the eye could see. Ciel's eyes narrowed as she took in the forbidding landscape.

"I don't know. Stay close to me," Ciel said. "We don't know who... or what might be lurking around here."

"Nyahahahaha!" a voice rang out suddenly. "So, this is the group that would dare to try breaching the impenetrable Fortress of the Cats? Such bravery! Or is it perhaps recklessness?"

"Who's there?" Ciel demanded as she whirled in place, trying to seek out the source of the laughter and the voice. "Show yourself!"

"Nyahaha! Have you forgotten already? Has it really been so long since we last met, Ciel-sensei?"

"..." Ciel swallowed hard, drawing her black keys in one smooth motion as she did so. "So... it's you."

"Huh?" Satsuki sputtered. "Who is it, Ciel-senpai? And why did that voice call you sensei?"

"Yes, it is indeed me! And to think you would break our agreement and our trust to lead a bunch of people to this place! This is most unforgivable, Ciel-sensei!" The voice continued, seeming to come from everywhere at once.

"... I did not lead them here," Ciel said calmly. "We found our own way and our own route."

"What? Isn't that still breaking the agreement that humans are not to trespass in our territory; our Great Garden?"

"Yes, but there were special circumstances for us coming here."

"Interesting! You seem determined, Ciel-sensei! In that case..." from the shadows, a dark shape emerged, clad in a white sweater and purple skirt.

"Eh?" Satsuki sputtered. "That looks like..."

"Neco-Arc," Ciel's eyes narrowed. "I thought I would run into you."

"Nya!" Neco-Arc began hopping back and forth, shadowboxing as she grinned cheekily at Ciel. "Come on Ciel-sensei! If you want to progress deeper into the Village, then you'll have to go through me! Nyahahaha!"

"Very well, I accept your challenge," with a nod, Ciel took a step forward. "Yumizuka-san, back me up."

"Eh? Ah! O - okay!"

And together, the two of them charged.

* * *

"Now then," Type Jupiter said. "On to the first order of business. Concerning the matter of Pluto..."

"Oh boy, here it comes," Type Mars muttered.

"Since the last time we gathered, there has been a... modification to the classification of Pluto's status, a shift from being a planet to being-"

"Objection!" Type Pluto snapped as it leaped to its feet - or what passed as feet for it. "I ask you, who were the ones who made that idiotic decision? HUMANS! They have nothing to do with this, save for Archetype Earth taking their hideous form for whatever reason!"

"Hey! I like my form!"

"Yes, yes. However, it must be acknowledged that they have reasonings for their decision. In any case, that is what we're here to vote on - whether to follow through on downgrading Pluto's status from being the Type of a planet."

"This wouldn't even be a big deal if we just accepted the Types of all the celestial bodies instead of just us ten," Type Saturn said. "Type Titan has been complaining a lot about that recently."

"Yes, because I'm sure Type S/2003 J 15 and Type Orthosie would have _so much_to contribute to the running of the solar system. The whole point of our gathering is that we're the most influential of the celestial bodies."

"Pft. Influential? In that case, why is Type Mercury even here? He's done nothing but sleep on Earth for the past five thousand years. Do you know how much effort it took just to get him to wake up and drag his sorry carcass to this meeting?"

"WATCH IT, NEPTUNE."

"Ahem. In any case, the matter of expanding the attendance of this gathering can be discussed later. For now, let us proceed with the vote concerning Pluto's status. The floor is open to anyone who wishes to make their views on the matter known. Yes, Type Pluto, you may speak..."

Arcueid sighed and slumped lower in her chair. "This is going to be a _long_ day…" She mumbled.

* * *

"Kohaku-san, are you all right?" Sion said as she bent over to more closely check on the status of the maid.

"Fine, fine!" Kohaku said brightly as she jumped to her feet. "I was just... stunned, a little. What happened?"

"I calculate that it was a defence system intended to separate us," Sion said as she drew her Black Barrel Replica, glaring into the fog around them. "They must believe that we would be easier to pick off if we were separated instead of together."

Kohaku sighed and rubbed the back of her head. Given what she knew about their group, having them stick together might end up decreasing their ability instead. Well, she wasn't too sure about her own ability to work with Sion, but she'd do her best.

After all, there was still the prize to be claimed…

"Oh, my, my, there were some who managed to withstand the trap."

The voice was surprisingly gentle, and both Sion and Kohaku turned to face a Neco emerging from the nearby building. Her hair was pink, and in one hand she clutched a basket.

"A Neco-Arc…" Sion said slowly.

"Oh, so that's a Neco-Arc!" Kohaku said. "I've never seen one before! It's… a lot cuter than I thought it would be."

"Oh, my, you think I'm cute?" a smile found its way onto the creature's face. "Although, I must admit I'm a little disappointed that all of you are girls. What I wouldn't give for a big strong _man_ to pay me a visit one of these days…"

"Ahem," Sion coughed. "Well, this… this has been a pleasant conversation, Ms. Neco-Arc, but we really must be going…"

"Not so fast!" The pink-haired Neco-Arc raised a hand to forestall Sion. "You didn't come into the Great Garden of Cats for no reason! And until you reveal what it is, I can't let you pass!"

Sion nodded. "I see. You intend to try to halt us?"

"Indeed. If not, you shall have to beat me in a cooking contest!"

Silence.

Sion blinked. "A cooking contest."

"Indeed! If you can make a dish I acknowledge as wonderful, then you can go on. Oh, but what I wouldn't give for someone to be as superb a cook as that redhead boy from when I visited the carnival! Ahem," the Neco-Arc coughed. "But I will grant the privilege of passage to only one of you. Only the superior chef may pass!"

"Ooh, this sounds interesting!" Kohaku clapped her hands together. "Doesn't it, Sion-san?"

"This is… utterly inane," Sion snapped. "I refuse!"

"Oh, it's okay if you don't know how to cook," the Neco-Arc said. "So many career women nowadays sacrificing all the traditional skills of a good housewife in pursuit of their professions. But I suppose it's a valid life choice."

"W – what are you insinuating?" Sion sputtered. "My cooking skills are perfectly adequate! It's merely that this is an entirely inappropriate method for-"

"Huhuhu… come on, Sion-san," Kohaku chuckled. "If you want to win Shiki-san's heart, you should probably be a good cook too, you know? Think of this as preparation!"

"Nnh…" Sion glared at Kohaku. "You appear quite confident, Kohaku-san."

"Well, I _do_ practice my cooking a whole lot." Kohaku's innocent smile merely caused Sion's frown to deepen.

"Fine," she snapped. "I accept your challenge. I assume you have ingredients of some kind… Ms. Neco…" Sion trailed off as a table and a several bags full of raw ingredients appeared in front of her as if by magic.

"Oh, this is wonderful!" the pink-haired Neco-Arc exclaimed. "To think I'd be able to taste the cooking of two girls like you…"

With a tiny chuckle, Kohaku picked up her knife and got to work.

* * *

"All right, we have put the matter to a vote, and we are agreed. Type Pluto continue to attend these meetings if he accepts his diminished status as a dwarf planet."

A tiny grumble was heard coming from Type Pluto, but the others ignored it.

"And now we turn to a more persistent problem," Type Jupiter cleared his throat. "Archetype Earth, once more we raise the matter of the continued existence of humans on your planet."

Arcueid raised a hand to her forehead and rubbed it wearily. "This again?" She mumbled. "We keep going in circles when we talk about this and it never goes anywhere."

"We keep bringing this up because this is important," Type Jupiter said, a hint of admonishment in his tone.

"The answer I gave was the same as last time, and it'll be the same next time you ask," Arcueid muttered. "Yes, Gaia will continue to allow humans to live on the planet for as long as Gaia itself does."

"Typical." Type Uranus muttered just loud enough for Arcueid to hear.

"The gathering will abide by Gaia's decision in regards to the beings living on its planet," Type Jupiter said. "That aside, we have a slightly more important matter to discuss. Archetype Earth, it has recently come to our attention that you have been spending more and more time in the vicinity of humans… and one human in particular."

"Told you she was acting more animated."

Arcueid stiffened. "That's none of your business."

"Officially, yes. However, we'd like to remind you that being a planet's Ultimate One means certain duties that are inviolable. Let us take it as a gentle reminder that you should not be shirking your duties, regardless of who you decide to pass the time with. Now, on to other matters…"

Bristling at the thinly veiled threat, Arcueid sat back, her arms folded, as Type Jupiter continued to talk.

* * *

"Well, guess it's just the two of us, huh?" Riesbyfe said cheerily as they continued walking along the deserted forest path. Akiha let out a long sigh as she continued to ignore the chatty Church agent.

"I mean, it's a good thing I caught you before you ended up being blown to who knows where," Riesbyfe continued, entirely oblivious to Akiha's deepening irritation. "I guess it's because I'm heavier? Or maybe it's because of Gamaliel weighing me down. Anyway, if we just keep going in this direction we should run into the others. Or maybe the others got blown away too. I hope Satsuki's okay. Sion's pretty tough, and she's got a good head on her shoulders, but Satsuki still isn't that used to quests like this. She needs to learn a bit more self-confidence, though. She can be pretty powerful when the situation calls for it, and she just doesn't appear to realize her true strength."

"Are you done talking?" Akiha finally said. "Because I am pretty much done with listening."

"Yeesh, lighten up," Riesbyfe rubbed the back of her head. "Just trying to make conversation."

"I don't see that we have many points of common interest," Akiha pointed out. "In fact, you don't even really like Nii-san, do you?"

"Eh, Tohno's an okay guy to hang out with," Riesbyfe grinned. "Did I ever tell you about the time he and I formed the Nanaya Stalker Club?"

"Nanaya Stalker – no, nevermind. I don't _want_ to know," she shook her head. "But you don't _love_ him, do you?"

"Nah, he's just not my type."

"… Then why did you come?"

"Well, Sion and Satsuki seemed pretty set on the whole plan, and I'm their friend. Gotta come help them out if the situation calls for it, doesn't it? And if that means dragging my lazy butt out here into hostile territory, then that's what it takes. Right now though, I think it means finding out just where the two of them have went."

"Hm. A path towards that which you seek. That is one fraught with dangers," a deep voice suddenly rang out from the surrounding trees, and the two girls pulled to a halt. "And even then there is no guarantee that there will be light at the end."

"Show yourself!" Riesbyfe called.

"Show 'myself'?" the voice said mockingly. "What is 'myself'? I am based off two other characters, and I myself contain chaos within, the voices of beasts without number. But you may see me such as I am," and from the trees a small, dark shape emerged.

"Neco-Arc Chaos!" Riesbyfe said, her eyes widening. "So the rumours _were_ true!"

"That depends on the rumour in question, does it not?" Neco-Arc Chaos said as he lifted a cigar to his lips. "Regardless, I know what it is you and your friends are here for. They must not get their hands on it. That potion was not meant for human hands."

"… Sorry, Chaos," Riesbyfe said as she brought Gamaliel into a defensive position. "But I promised to help my friend find that, and I don't break promises."

"Indeed!" Akiha's blue eyes blazed with fury. "Don't hope to stand between me and nii-san!"

"Oh hoh!" Neco-Arc Chaos laughed. "Temperamental, aren't you? But not to worry, I don't have to fight you. This forest of illusion will do the trick of ensuring you don't find your way through," he turned and scurried back towards the undergrowth. "When you feel ready to give in, give me a holler and I'll let you out. Until then, farewell, my fine ladies."

Riesbyfe stared angrily at Neco-Arc Chaos as he vanished into the darkness. "Knowing him, he wasn't kidding about this forest being impossible to navigate."

"Oh, I don't think that will be a problem." Akiha said calmly.

"Huh?"

Forsaking words, Akiha closed her and concentrated as her hair began to flare red.

* * *

"That hurt." Hisui said as she pulled herself to her feet.

She had been flung perhaps farther than most. She supposed she should be grateful that she did not appear to have injured anything serious during the fall, but that meant that she was now alone, without anyone she knew was present.

She took a deep breath. _I hope nee-san and Akiha-sama are okay. For now, I suppose I should complete my tasks to the best of my ability._

"Nh?" A voice from behind her. Well, it was less a voice and more of a grunt.

Turning, she beheld a tiny creature, that came up to her waist.

She stared curiously at the being, and it stared right back at her.

After a long moment, she bowed slightly.

"A pleasure to meet you. I presume you are one of what they refer to as a 'Neco-Arc'!"

"Hnh! Hnh! Hnh!" three short grunts punctuated very enthusiastic nodding. Hisui smiled slightly.

"That is good. May I ask if you know your way around this place?"

More nodding.

"Well then, would you mind me accompanying you until I can find my travel companions?"

The Neco-Arc shook her head 'No'.

"Thank you very much," Hisui bowed deeply. "Also, if this is not too forward of me, have you perhaps heard of the Anti-Love Potion?"

A puzzled look came over the Neco-Arc as she cocked her head to one side for several long seconds before her eyes widened and she began nodding again.

"I… I see," Hisui cupped her chin thoughtfully. This might be a good opportunity. "Well then, would you be so kind as to lead me to that potion?"

The Neco-Arc nodded enthusiastically yet again and reached out a hand (well, it was more like a furry ball) for Hisui to take ahold of.

"Then I am in your debt."

* * *

"And that concludes the list of items on our agenda," Type Jupiter said. "Except that Type Saturn has proposed a bigger auditorium to hold the meeting the next time around."

"LIKE IT REALLY MATTERS," ORT pointed out. "IT'S NOT LIKE YOU WOULD FIT INSIDE REGARDLESS."

The holographic image of Type Saturn glared at ORT, who at 40 metres tall, just barely fit inside the chamber.

"Even if Type Saturn won't fit regardless, I still think the idea of changing auditoriums has merit," Type Neptune said. "Our current set of contractors are getting upset at the fact that we invariably destroy the place whenever we gather."

The various Ultimate Ones paused to glance around the wreckage of the room, most of which had been caused by the various simply shifting to make themselves more comfortable.

"Well, it's not like you can blame me or Archetype Earth for _that_." Type Venus chuckled as she strummed an experimental note on her guitar.

"Shut up, you overgrown skyfish. Just because you have a more mobile alternate form you think you can lord it over us?"

"GentleTypes," Type Jupiter said calmly. "Let us be civil about this. At any rate, are we all agreed to at least begin looking for alternative venues?"

Various shrugs and murmurs.

"Very well, then. You'll be notified via the usual channels if anything new comes up. And with that, meeting dismissed." Type Jupiter pounded his hammer once more, creating an explosion that blew out most of the remaining walls in the room.

Standing and stretching, Arcueid let out a sigh of relief. Finally, the meeting was over!

"That took too long," she muttered.

* * *

"Hrrh... ghhh…" Ciel panted as she stumbled backwards, one hand clutching her side. To her side, Satsuki's legs stuck out from the ground into the air, the top half of her body having been slammed into the mud where she was now stuck. "Unbelievable… none of the records ever spoke of the Neco-Arcs having combat power to this extent…"

"Nyahahahaha! What are you saying, Ciel-sensei! It's not that I'm strong, it's just that you're weak!"

"W – what?" Ciel sputtered. "How dare you-"

"Your attacks like conviction! Your defence lacks focus! Your stomach lacks curry!" Neco-Arc folded her arms confidently. "Tell me, do you truly believe in what it is you set out to do? Pilfering an Anti-Love Potion just like that?"

"S – silence! What would you know of it? I've waited too long in the shadows, never letting my heart be known. This is… this is the only chance I have!"

"Hm," Neco-Arc shrugged. "And so you'd be okay with manipulating someone else for your own desires? My, my."

"I told you to be quiet! Stop making it sound bad!"

"… I'm just saying the bare facts, nya. If it still sounds bad, maybe it's because it _is_ bad?"

"Rrrrgh!" with a roar of anger, Ciel hurled a set of black keys at Neco-Arc, only for her to dodge them cleanly.

"Shinsou BEAM!" twin rays of light shot out from Neco-Arcs eyes and slammed into Ciel, sending her flying. "Your anger is making you sloppy, Ciel-sensei! Where were the wonderfully painful and accurate attacks you struck me with back in the classrrom, nya?"

As Ciel shakily pulled herself to her feet yet again, Neco-Arc waved cheerfully at her.

"Anyway, it looks like my work here is done. You better heal that girl over there and bring her back to village entrance pronto! And if you've ever regained your focus, let's spar again sometime, Ciel-sensei!" And with that, Neco-Arc vanished in a puff of smoke.

"… Dammit." Cursing under her breath, Ciel set out to dig Satsuki from the ground.

* * *

"Oh me, oh my!" the pink-haired Neco-Arc moaned blissfully as she continued stuffing her face with the food. "This is absolutely fabulous."

"Well, then, Neco-Arc-san, please try some of my poached salmon next!" Kohaku said as she placed the platter in front of it. "Oh yes, and my roast chicken in teriyaki sauce should be just about done…"

Folding her arms, Sion attempted to keep her temper in check. "Do either of you remember that this was supposed to be a cooking _contest_?" she said, just a trifle more venomously than she liked to admit. "Tell us who the winner was so she can go collect the potion!"

"Oh, that…" the Neco-Arc dabbed her mouth delicately with a napkin. "That was a lie. Neither of you get to pass."

"W – what?" Sion sputtered.

"I was just told to delay both of you for a couple of hours. It looks like I accomplished my job rather well, so I'll be taking my leave now," she paused. "But before that, let me just say this. Kohaku dear, your cooking is absolutely fabulous. But you really should try to cut down on the hallucinogens in the food, dear. It's not healthy."

"Oh…" Kohaku chuckled nervously. "You could tell? I just wanted you to collapse so we could move on, actually…"

"Well, no harm done. Now, Sion dear, there's no technical fault in your cooking – I suppose that would be expected of an alchemist of Atlas. You followed the recipes perfectly. It's just…" she sighed and shook her head. "Your cooking lacks _heart_. That's what makes genuinely superb meals, you know."

"Wha…" Sion sputtered. The infuriating Neco-Arc was leaving her surprisingly tongue-tied.

"Well then, I suppose I'll see you. I'll drink to your future tonight, girls! Farewell!" and the Neco-Arc vanished in a flash of light.

"Goodbye!" Kohaku waved after the vanished Neco-Arc and turned to the dumbstruck Sion. "That was a pretty good learning experience, wasn't it?"

"If by learning experience you mean a _complete waste of time_, then yes, I agree with you!" Sion snapped. "She manipulated us!"

"Now, now, don't get so mad, Sion-san. You should learn to loosen up more."

It took all of Sion's self-control not to start chewing on her etherlite.

* * *

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…'

"I-"

"Don't say it," Akiha snapped.

"Burning down the forest didn't help. It's still full of illusions. Only now they're illusions of dead tree stumps instead of live ones." Riesbyfe pointed out. "And we could spend another couple of hours wandering the place, but personally I'm getting hungry."

"…" Akiha could feel a vein throbbing on her temple. "Defeated by the sort of tricks that fairies pull in nursery rhymes? Is this what I've been reduced to?"

"Well, on the bright side, it's not as bad as getting eaten by a vampire-turned-sapient-phenomenon and then getting reanimated and press-gangeed into service under your best friend-turned-vampire from a thousand years in the future."

Akiha paused to shoot Riesbyfe a _look_.

Riesbyfe sighed. "You know what, enough is enough. Neco-Arc Chaos! I call 'Uncle!' So let us out of here!"

"… About that," the voice popped up.

"What is it?"

"When your friend torched the place she accidentally melted the control panel for the forest. I… sort of can't turn the illusions off anymore."

"…"

"…"

"If you don't mind, I'm going to go sit by that tree stump right over _there_ and have myself a good cry," Riesbyfe said.

"Gimme a sec," Neco-Arc Chaos spoke up. "I'll send out as many of my beasts as I can. If any of them can find you, they can also lead you out of here… let's see… wow, when did I get one of _those_? Ah, there we go…"

Several minutes later, Akiha and Riesbyfe were being led out of the forest by a rather smelly warthog, and Akiha was trying to decide if this was worse or better than being stuck in the forest.

* * *

"So… where's Hisui?" Akiha demanded when they were all gathered once more at the entrance to the village.

"I… did not see her," Sion admitted. "I assume she must have been blown off somewhere."

"No sign of her with me, either." Ciel cupped her chin, looking thoughtful.

"Anyway, what do we do now? We didn't succeed in finding the potion."

"Our first priority is to find Hisui-chan!" Kohaku said decisively. "And if that means braving the Necos again, then so be it!"

"There is no need, nee-san." Came the voice from behind them.

They turned as one to see the maid standing there, a glass vial clutched protectively in her arms.

"Hisui!" Akiha's eyes widened. "You're all right!"

"Yes, I am," she bowed. "Thank you for your concern, Akiha-sama."

"What's that in your hands, Hisui? Is that…"

"…" Hisui held the vial up towards them. "See for yourself."

A label was pasted onto the bottle, reading 'Anti-Love Potion: Separation as Far as the Earth and Skies'.

"Incredible." Ciel breathed.

"Not bad!" Riesbyfe whistled. "You must have braved all sorts of dangers and trials to find the bottle."

"It was not so trying as that," Hisui shook her head. "Regardless, shall we return? I believe we have what we came for."

Their spirits buoyed, the seven of them turned back – various minds already turning to how best to seize the potion and gain exclusive use of it.

* * *

"ShikI! There you are!" Arcueid laughed. "I was looking for you!"

"Sorry, Arc!" Shiki smiled back. "I had to make a long-distance trip. But where were you? I recall you left on your own journey a bit before I did."

"Oh, you know," Arcueid waved her arms carelessly. "Boring stuff. Bureaucracy and all that. I don't really want to talk about it."

"Was it really that irritating?"

"You don't want to know," Arcueid slumped her shoulders and let out an exaggerated sigh. "But let's not talk about that right now, Shiki."

"All right, Arc," Shiki smiled gently and reached out a hand to her. "How about a relaxing dinner by the waterfront instead? I think that'll be more interesting than whatever it is you were doing."

"Why, Shiki!" Arcueid laughed and reached out to seize Shiki's hand. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

Next: CRAB Battle Part Three: The Question


	30. CRAB Battle: Part Three

The World of the Moon

* * *

Thirty: CRAB Battle Part Three: The Question

And with this, the 30th chapter in this story, I've more or less come to the end of this series of oneshots.

What does this mean going forward? Well, mostly it means that I will no longer be updating this on a regular basis of one new entry a week. This fic will (most probably) still be updated, if/when I get inspiration for new oneshots, but those will only be when they hit, and thus will be rarer than normal. I'll be moving on to focus on other stories.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this last chapter of CRAB Battle.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

They was a messy tangled of sprawled limbs and groaning females in the gardens of the Tohno Mansion.

For a long moment, no one moved. And then, finally, Ciel shifted, falling away from the pile and landing on the floor.

"I told you we shouldn't have trusted that Neco-Arc to send us back properly."

"What? She indeed delivered us to the correct location!" SIon pointed out, the second one to disengage and the first one to stand up.

"Yes, but the manner in which she did so leaves a bit to be desired." Akiha said as she pulled herself free of the pile.

"Um, guys?" from the bottom of the pile came a muffled voice. "It's kinda uncomfortable being here on the bottom. Would you mind moving a little quicker?"

"Ah, my apologies, Yumizuka-san." Quickly, Hisui got off, followed by Kohaku and Riesbyfe. "Are you injured?"

"Oh, eh no!" Satsuki sat up, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm tougher than that, after all! It was just kind of uncomfortable."

"Ahem," Sion coughed. "Moving on... we have secured the potion, have we not?"

Hisui nodded, holding the bottle up to show Sion.

"Well, next thing to do is find Shiki and Arcueid in order to feed them that potion," Riesbyfe said. "Maybe slip it into their drinks or somethng?"

"Indeed," Akiha tossed several strands of hair back across her shoulder. "Kohaku?"

"Yes, Akiha-sama!" Kohaku said cheerfully as she pulled what appeared to be a heavily modified Gameboy out from the folds of her robe. "Let's see here..."

"Tohno-san, is that...?"

Akiha smirked at Ciel. "What? Are you surprised that I would have something on hand with which to track nii-san?"

Any reply Ciel would have made was drowned out by an excited shout from Kohaku.

"I've got it! He's… at the quay right now. Probably one of the restaurants along the riverside."

"Hm. In that case, I suppose it's a safe bet that vampire is with him."

"I see," Sion nodded. "In that case -" shimmering strands of etherlite flicked through the air, yanking the bottle out of Hisui's hands.

Ignoring the surprised gasp from the quiet maid, Sion waved her hand. "Akiha-san, Ciel, my thanks for your aid during the journey. I'll be taking my leave now."

And she turned and ran, leaving Satsuki to start with surprise and begin chasing after her, and for Riesbyfe to make a brief, apologetic bow before leaving along with her friend.

* * *

"Shiki?" Arcueid cocked her head to the side, an expression of wide-eyed curiosity on her face. It somehow made her look even cuter than usual. "Is something the matter?"

Shiki shook his head. "Well, no, at least, I don't think so. I just… can't shake this odd feeling."

"Oh? Anything in particular you're feeling strange about?"

"That's just it. I can't think of any reason for me to be feeling uneasy."

"But you are anyway?" Arcueid picked up her glass of water and took a drink from it. "That sounds kinda serious, Shiki. Maybe you should get it looked into."

"Well, maybe," Shiki sighed. "But the last time I felt uneasy like this was when… well… when you were making that cake for me and you hadn't told me about it yet."

"Oh. So it's intuition, huh?" Arcueid said as she sat back. "But what could there be that would make you feel like that?"

"What indeed?" Shiki shrugged.

* * *

"Dammit!" Ciel swore as she leapt to the air. _I hadn't expected that Sion would be the one to make the first move!_

Fortunately for Sion and unfortunately for Ciel, the trees surrounding the Tohno mansion grounds made ideal cover for an escape, and so Ciel was unable to catch her before they had reached the city.

_Sion, Riesbyfe, and Yumizuka. All of them have the endurance and strength needed to keep moving until they reach Shiki and Arcueid._ Their stealth skills at being able to sneak the potion to him she was rather less sure about, but that was secondary. Her first goal would be to reclaim the potion.

Soon she was within the city proper once more, jumping from rooftop to lamppost and rooftop again as she sought to cover more ground.

_The Back Alley Alliance… well, they were given that name for a reason. They probably know the alleyways and backstreets of Misaki city well. And it's only natural someone like Tohno-san wouldn't have a good knowledge of those paths if she wanted to give chase._ A smirk came across Ciel's face. _Well, it looks like Sion didn't remember to take me into account. I patrol these streets every night, and I know all the shortcuts._

And if Ciel didn't miss her guess, the route that led to the quay the quickest would be… right… over… there…

Ciel's eyes narrowed as she caught sight of a figure clad in grey and black standing in her path, and adjusted her next jump so that she would land in front of her.

"Yo," Riesbyfe grinned cheerily. "You got here faster than Sion anticipated, Ciel. Barely had time to set up before you arrived."

"Shield Knight Stridberg," Ciel said. "Stand down and let me pass."

"No can do, Burial Agent. I don't have a personal stake in the potion, so Sion and Satsuki are counting on me to hold the line against you."

"You cannot possibly believe that you can defeat me," Ciel snapped as she drew her Black Keys.

"See, that's the thing. I don't need to defeat you. I just need to – what?" Riesbyfe snapped to attention at the same time that Ciel realized that they were not alone in the alleyway.

Whirling, she confronted the mass of dark, whirring, clicking shapes as they converged on her location.

* * *

"Typical Ciel," Akiha smirked as she dialled her cell phone, arranging for a car to be brought up. "Rushing off without even thinking of the consequences. But this is _my_ city, and I know how to handle things within. Kohaku?"

"Of course, Akiha-sama!" Kohaku smiled and nodded. "On your orders, I'd already arranged for the Mech-Hisuis to be disseminated across the city in the interim period while we were out travelling. _And_ to prepare a variety of traps for the careless, of course!"

"As efficient as ever," Akiha nodded as the limousine pulled into view. "Well then, shall we? I believe we have an appointment with nii-san at the quay."

As Kohaku got into the car first, Akiha turned back to the regard Hisui, who was staring off into a distant with a somewhat dazed look on her face.

"What's the matter, Hisui?" a softer note entered Akiha's voice. "You're not worried about losing the bottle, are you? Don't worry, it was a surprise attack from Sion."

"That… is not it, Akiha-sama," Hisui shook her head hastily. "Do not worry. I will be fine."

"If you say so. Come on, get in the car. We have a potion to recover."

And with that, the three of them entered the car and began to drive down into the city.

* * *

"… Do you think Riesbyfe will be all right?" Satsuki asked as she glanced over her shoulder. "I mean, the person most likely to run into her is Ciel-senpai…"

"Riesbyfe is perfectly capable of looking after herself," Sion said, never once breaking stride as she continued down the path towards the quay.

"… I guess you're right." Satsuki swallowed hard. "And… and I guess that means it's just the two of us now, Sion."

Sion slowed in her step as she caught the meaning behind Satsuki's words. "Very well" She nodded once. "This was always going to happen sooner or later anyway. I'm ready when you are, Satsuki."

Satsuki crouched low, flexing her claws as Sion drew and primed her Black Barrel Replica. "May the best fighter win, Satsuki."

Satsuki nodded. "And to the victor go the spoils!"

_I can do this! I have to do this! For Tohno-kun!_ That thought it mind, Satsuki leapt forward with swift punch that Sion ducked away from. Strands of etherlite whipped out to ensnare Satsuki, but concentrating her strength, Satsuki tore her way through her binds and charged Sion once more.

One, two, and three gunshots rang out from Sion's gun, and Satsuki leapt into the air, avoiding the bullets before she came down with a swift kick that Sion ducked away from.

_C'mon! Focus!_ Clenching her fist, Satsuki made to advance on Sion again when the tap of a foot against concrete drew the two girls' attention away from their fight.

Turning, Satsuki caught sight of –

"Black Cat-san? What are you doing here?"

"Len, it's dangerous here," Sion said. "You should remain in our vicinity."

Len glanced at Sion, then and Satsuki, and before staring down at the bottle she now held in her hand.

"Wait, that's-!" Satsuki blurted out.

"I – impossible!" Sion patted at her pockets. "How – when did you get ahold of that, Len?"

Silently, Len turned the bottle so that she could read the label on the bottle, and her eyes widened.

"It – it's not what you think!" Satsuki blurted out. "It's just that-!"

Len raised her gaze once more to Satsuki and Sion, the look of outrage plain on her face. Before either of them could say a word, Len had changed into her cat form, the bottle clutched firmly in her mouth as she turned and sped away into the darkness of the night.

"We have to get that bottle back!" Sion proclaimed somewhat unnecessarily. "Come on, Satsuki!"

"R- right behind you!"

* * *

"Mm!" Arcueid had a smile on her face. "The pudding was delicious!"

"Glad you liked it," Shiki smiled back at her. Dinner had gone by surprisingly quickly, Arcueid having practically inhaled most of the dishes that they had served her. He could only suppose that she was making up for lost time from… wherever she had been.

Well, it wasn't like he hadn't been glad to get several hot drinks after his own journey.

And on that note… "Arc? Shall we take a walk after this?"

Arcueid smiled and nodded. "Sure! I could use the walk to help digest that food anyway."

Signalling the waiter for the bill, Shiki sat back to wait for it to arrive, and a frown made its way onto his face.

Coming at him at a speed just too fast for him to feel comfortable with was a limousine. One that he recognized. Even as he sat up in his chair, the car screeched to a halt, and Akiha emerged from the interior.

"Akiha?" he questioned, and Arcueid twisted in her seat to look behind her. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hey, Little Sister! Didn't know you were back in the city too!"

"… Nii-san," Akiha folded her arm and made a point of ignoring Arcueid. "Did anyone else come by a little earlier? Like, oh, Sion or Ciel?"

"Er, huh?" Shiki blinked and shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

"Typical," Akiha reached up to rub her forehead. "Even when they try to turn against you they can't do it right. Well then, change of plans. Nii-san, get in the car."

"W-what?" Shiki sputtered. "What's this about?"

"Yeah, Little Sister! This is pretty pushy, even for you. What's going on?"

"I'm pushy? That's a laugh coming from you, Arcueid," Akiha said arrogantly as she flipped her hair back. "Anyway, nii-san's in danger from Sion and Ciel, so I'm going to bring him to somewhere safe."

"Hahaha!" Arcueid laughed. "Well, no need to worry, Little Sister! I'm sure I can protect him from anything those two try!"

"…" Akiha heaved a sigh. "I knew words would be useless. Well, fortunately, I came prepared. Kohaku?"

"Yes, Akiha-sama! On your orders, I had the Mech-Hisuis mine every restaurant and eatery in town with smoke grenades in the possibility of Shiki choosing to visit one of them. And they'll activate once I press this button!"

"Wait, wha-" was all Shiki managed to get out before Kohaku tapped the button as hard as she could. Several muffled booming sounds could be heard, and suddenly the entire area was filled with grey smoke, obscuring all vision.

Shiki stood from his chair, only to feel delicate fingers on his shoulder, and he turned to see a smiling Kohaku at his side.

"Now, Shiki-san, if you wouldn't mind getting in the car?"

"… Sure thing, Kohaku. Just… just put that needle away, please."

* * *

The smoke soon cleared to see a rather sooty Arcueid sitting at the table, blinking in surprise. A moment later, a waitress hesitantly came up to her.

"Um, miss? The bill for this table…"

Arcueid glanced down at the tab. "Oh… I don't suppose you'd be willing to take a raincheck?"

* * *

"There's no end to these machines!" Ciel sputtered as she reduced another Mech-Hisui to scrap.

"Woo, that maid's sure got some brains in her head to be able to make an ensemble like this," Riesbyfe said admiringly as she ran another of the machines through.

"Now's not the time to be admiring the enemy!" _I have to clear these away quickly so I can catch up with Sion and that potion!_

"Analysing-situation." The Mech-Hisuis droned in unision. "Opponent-threat-level-extremely high.

"Acknowledged. Switching-to-lethal-ordnance."

"Wait, lethal-" Ciel sputtered before twin beams of golden light shot out from the nearest Mech-Hisui at her. Even as she regained her balance, a second Mech-Hisui charged her, its hands having been replaced with drills. As she evaded and tripped it, she caught sight of a _third_ Mech-Hisui launching its arms at her like a rocket.

"How many weapons did she pack into these things?" Ciel said as she held back besides Riesbyfe. It was only then that she realized that Riesbyfe was silent. "… Shield Knight?"

"…" Ciel could see sparkles in Riesbyfe's eyes. "Did you see that? That was a Photon Beam attack! It was reproduced _perfectly_! And that twin rocket punch! The pose was even identical to how Zambot did it in the show!"

_Great. The one ally I have in this fight turns out to be a giant robot geek._ Scowling, Ciel assessed her options and leapt up to the rooftop.

"This is a waste of time," she snapped. "These robots can't stop me. I'm going after Sion and the potion. Do as you… will…" she trailed off as she caught sight of a black figure darting through the alley. "… Len?"

"Hey, Len's got the potion with her!" Riesbyfe yelled.

"… Assessing-situation. Feline-in-possession-of-retrieval-priority-target. Switching-combat-targets," as one, the remaining Mech-Hisuis turned to face Len, who had only now begun to realize that she was in a really bad position.

_... Len has the potion in her mouth? And she's running in the opposite direction of the quay?_ Ciel's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what happened between you and Sion, but that potion is mine!"

And with that proclamation, she leaped into the air once more, drawing her Black Keys as she did so.

* * *

Sion was feeling rather frustrated as she ran through the alleys of Misaki City, seeking the elusive black cat.

_Leave it to Len to derail our plans at the very last moment. But where would she go? Likely her first thought would be to hide the potion somewhere where we wouldn't be able to find it, but-_ Emerging out into the main street as a limousine drove by, Sion's eyes widened.

_Akiha-san was in there! With Shiki Tohno!_ Making a split second decision, Sion burst into a sprint, her vampiric blood giving her the strength and speed needed to keep up with the car as it rolled down the main road.

The potion could come later. Right now she needed to make sure that nothing happened to Shiki before _she_ was able to properly secure him for herself.

* * *

"Aw, this sucks…" Satsuki mumbled to herself as she wandered the back alleys. "Where could Black Cat-san have gone off to?"

_And the look she gave us before she ran off. It was so… outraged._ Satsuki reached up to scratch at her temple. _I guess she wouldn't approve of us trying something with a potion like that. But still, it's my only chance to – eh?_

Rounding a corner and rubbing her head in consternation was Arcueid Brunestud.

Shiki's girlfriend.

Her _rival_.

" – drags him off to who knows where and – Oh, it's Satsuki!" Arcueid broke out into a bright smile. "How are you tonight? Feeling okay?"

"… Oh, fine! Just fine!" Satsuki said, a bright smile pasted on her face. Arcueid being so nice to her was a bit of a problem, but then again, she didn't know what her being here… what her being around Shiki had done to her. "A… Arcueid-san!"

"Hm? Something the matter? To be honest, I'm a little busy."

"Y – yes!" Satsuki nodded with determination. _Forget the potion! Forget sneaking around! I'm going to win Tohno-kun's heart the straightforward way!_ "Arcueid-san, I challenge you to a duel!"

"… A… duel…" Arcueid raised an eyebrow.

"Y – yes!" Satsuki nodded. "For the right to date Tohno-kun! The winner has to agree not to pursue any romantic relations with him."

"Oh, _another_ one? You have got to be kidding me," Arcueid's demeanour changed in an instant, going from a pleasant, if somewhat ditzy looking girl to a cold, imperious princess with a glare that could melt steel. A look so similar to the one Arcueid had given her the first time they had met. "I never took you for another one of _them, _Satsuki."

Resisting the urge to quail with fright, Satsuki clenched her fist. "I've… I've known Tohno-kun for longer than you have! I have as much right to try to win his heart as you do."

"Two things. First, I've _already_ 'won Shiki's heart', as you put it," Arcueid took a step forwards, and it took all of Satsuki's willpower not to take a step back. "Secondly, don't go getting ahead of yourself and thinking that you're anywhere near my league in terms of power."

"That's… that's where you're wrong!" Satsuki shouted. "You're right! Under normal circumstances there's no way I could beat you… but this… this is no ordinary situation!"

"Nh?" Arcueid raised an eyebrow.

"It's love!" Satsuki declared. "This time, I'm fighting for the sake of the one I love! The power of love is the strongest force in the universe, and as long as I have it on my side, _there's no way I can lose!_"

Silence fell upon the two of them for a very long moment. And then Arcueid sighed.

"What are you on about?"

"H – huh?"

"Even if I accepted your theory that fighting for the sake of love makes you stronger," Arcueid scowled at Satsuki. "You really don't think I love Shiki? I would give my life for him," her glare deepened. "I _did_ give my life for him, and he would do the same for me."

"E- eh? So what you're saying is…"

"Yes, I am. I'm powered by love too!" And Arcueid leapt at Satsuki, a single fist clenched.

_N – no way! I completely miscalculated?_ That was the only thought that went through Satsuki's mind before the blow connected.

* * *

White Len sighed as she stared at her home.

That was, honestly speaking, a bit of an injustice to the very word.

A collection of cardboard boxes thrown together and held up with duct tape, glue, and willpower, it nevertheless provided some protection from the elements outside, which was more than could be said of her last residence of a garbage bag.

Sometimes she wondered if it would really be so bad if she just swallowed her pride and asked her counterpart for help.

And then, with a sound like booming thunder, a figure in yellow smashed through the far end of the alley, slamming into the wall next to her home facefirst, and remaining stuck there.

"Nanaya, put the kettle on!" White Len called. "We have a guest!"

"Can I kill him?"

"Her. And no, you cannot."

After several long seconds, Satsuki slowly slid down from the wall and collapsed onto the floor.

"Say, do you prefer tea or coffee? Well, the main ingredient is dirt anyways, so I guess it doesn't really matter all that much…"

Satsuki let out a choked groan.

* * *

"So, do you plan on actually telling me where you're taking me or anything?" Shiki asked as he looked over at his sister. "Because I _kind of_ had something planned for tonight, you know."

"All in good time, nii-san."

"We're sitting in a car with absolutely nothing else to do but talk. How is this _not_ a good time?"

Akiha heaved a sigh and glanced over at Kohaku. "Kohaku, any luck on the tracking?"

"Sorry, Akiha-sama. But the visuals the Mech-Hisui's were sending me appear to have been cut off. I can't find Len-san anymore."

"Visuals? Mech-Hisuis? Akiha, what is going on?"

"Nii-san," Akiha aimed a glare his way. "Please be quiet."

"…" Shiki heaved a sigh and slumped back in his seat. "So, that's the way it's going to be, huh. In that case, I'm sorry, Akiha."

"Sorry? Sorry for wha-" Akiha's words were cut off as Shiki removed his glasses and reached up to slice the ceiling with his knife, cutting open a hole in the car.

"Shiki-sama! You can't! It's too dangerous!"

Shiki paused to glance at the two maids before grasping ahold of the lid of the hole and vanishing out the top of the limo.

"Stop the car!" Akiha snapped, and the limo screeched to a halt.

Throwing open the car doors, Akiha scrambled out, glancing frantically in all directions, not catching sight of her brother.

"Kohaku!"

"Yes, yes, just a moment… ah, there we go. Akiha-sama, it appears he's heading in the direction of the park."

"I see. Then, we should-"

"You will do no such thing," from the shadows, Sion emerged, breathing heavily but otherwise at the ready. "Enough is enough, Akiha-san. I will have to deter you from further pursuit of him."

"Oh, is that so?" Akiha's eyes flashed dangerously and her hair began to rise around her. "You already messed up once when you lost the potion to Len. Why, one might even say you _miscalculated_."

Sion's fists tightened, and she shifted into a battle-ready stance.

"… Kohaku."

"Yes, Akiha-sama! On your orders, I prepared an energy matrix around the perimeter of the park that would make it impossible for Shiki-san to escape once he entered it. Although…" a note of hesitancy entered her voice. "I made it so that one of us had to be there in person to manually activate the trap."

"Very well. Kohaku. Take Hisui with you and make sure nii-san doesn't leave the park. As for you, Sion…" Akiha turned to face the alchemist.

"I had hoped you would not interfere too much in this affair," Sion blew out a sigh. "I would have liked for us to remain comrades."

"Comrades… is that so?" Akiha said. "Well, I can't compromise on this matter."

"Understood. And neither will I," Sion's gaze narrowed. "Let us settle this, Akiha-san."

"Yes, let's."

* * *

Several Black Keys slammed down in front of Len, forming a wall that effectively cut off her escape.

"Enough fun and games, Len," Ciel said coldly. "Give me the bottle. Now."

Len's gaze shifted back and forth for several long seconds until she came to the conclusion that there was indeed no easy out of this, and she spat the bottle down at Ciel's feet, obvious anger in her eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," Ciel snapped as she retrieved the potion. "You've no idea what I endured, do you?"

Len sniffed disdainfully and turned away, refusing to meet Ciel's gaze.

_Well, that's the potion in my hands. And as for Riesbyfe…_ Ciel shifted her gaze to the side.

"C'mon, let me see it! Let me see it! Ooh, did Kohaku make you capable of performing a Giga Drill Breaker?"

"Making-request-cease-attempting-to-open-my-chassis. And-the-proper-technical-term-for-it-is-Giga-Drill-Break."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Ciel turned and jumped onto the top of a nearby lamppost, scanning the city. She had the potion, now all she needed to do was to locate Tohno-kun…

Meanwhile, Seven's spirit appeared on the ground next to Len, who now had a palpable aura of gloom around her at not being able to safely retrieve the potion.

"Cheer up, Len!" Seven said brightly. "Master won't use the potion for anything _too_ bad! … I think."

* * *

"Ah, it appears he's settled himself down at a bench," Kohaku smirked. "Perfect! This will make setting up the energy web without him knowing so much easier! Hisui-chan, please keep a lookout on anyone else that might approach while I'm working."

"… Nee-san?"

"Hm?"

"What is the point of all this? Merely isolating Shiki-sama. You're not planning on… holding him down and forcing the potion down his throat, are you?"

"Don't be silly, Hisui-chan! Nothing so crude as that. I'll probably slip it into a drink or something… ah, there we go!"

There was a crackling noise, and a blue shimmering dome appeared to cover the entirety of Misaki Park.

"Ohohohoho!" Kohaku laughed and clenched her fist in triumph. "My greatest work yet!"

"…" Hisui tugged at the sleeve of her sister.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Nee-san, it appears Arcueid-sama and Ciel-san have arrived."

* * *

"Fancy meeting you here."

"…" Ciel made no reply.

"I take it you've been involved with all the nonsense that's been going on tonight as well?"

"Maybe," Ciel raised an eyebrow. "That would depend on what sort of nonsense you ran into exactly. But right now, we've a slightly more important question."

"Yes, who put this stupid barrier up," Arcueid craned her neck to look at the top of the dome.

"Well, whoever did it, I'm not in the mood to play around," Ciel drew another set of Black Keys. "This wall is going _down_!"

"If one of you put this wall up, then I guess it was to separate me from Shiki. So I want it down too," with a nod, Arcueid wound her fist up.

"HAH!" as both attacks crashed into the barrier, it shattered into nothing, and Ciel dashed through, eyes darting back and forth for any sign of.

"Ah, Ciel-san!" from the bushes, Kohaku stepped out, her grand entrance only slightly cheapened by the presence of several leaves stuck in her hair. "I believe you have something I want."

"… Too bad," Ciel replied tightly. "The potion's mine to use."

"Oh, is that so? Fufufufu, you might not want to be so hasty to make proclamations like that, Ciel-san. You see, we anticipated you being the most dangerous of all our foes, and upon Akiha-sama's orders, I proceeded to find a way to defeat you!"

"… You found a way to defeat a Burial Agent like me?" Ciel said. "Don't make me laugh, Kohaku."

"Tsk, again with the hastiness," Kohaku raised a tiny packet up into the air. "Do you see this, Ciel-san?"

"What of it?"

"It's a special reagent I developed specifically for the purpose of defeating you! I call it the Rabuzone XZ Beta!" Kohaku pointed a finger at Ciel. "Do you know what this does?"

"No, but I have a feeling I'm going to find out."

"Fufufu, how smart you are. When I throw this to the ground, it will release a gas into the air – and when that gas becomes inhaled by a human, he or she… will become _deathly allergic to curry!_"

Ciel could actually feel her knees growing weaker. "You… you wouldn't…"

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Kohaku chuckled. "Upon Akiha-sama's orders, I distributed this reagent through the sprinkler watering systems of Misaki Park! Once I give the order, the entire area will be blanketed in my anti-curry gas! But you have the power to prevent that, Ciel-san. You know what to do, don't you?"

"… Tch! Fine!" angrily, Ciel threw the bottle over to Kohaku, who snatched it out of the air with one smooth motion. "This doesn't change anything anyway! Once that potion has been given to Tohno-kun, I'll still be able to win his heart myself!"

"My, Ciel-san! Such confidence. And now I must go! Magical Amber bids you all adieu!" and Kohaku jumped back into the undergrowth.

"…" Ciel stood once more in the empty park before turning and stalking away, grumbling to herself.

* * *

"Oh, Arc!" Shiki perked up as he caught sight of the vampire princess heading towards him.

"I had the feeling I'd find you here," Arcueid said as she stepped up. "It's our spot, after all."

"Yeah, I just needed some time to clear my head," Shiki sighed. "Tonight's been a crazy night."

"Tell me about it," Arcueid sighed as she flopped into the seat next to Shiki.

There was a comfortable silence amongst the two for a while, the two of them merely staring up at the stars. Silently, Shiki reached into his pocket, fingering the tiny box he held in there. Maybe now?

"Hey, Shiki?"

"Hm?"

"Do you want to go get a cup of coffee or something? Ahnenerbe is open twenty four hours, and I could use a drink to calm down after all this madness."

Shiki blinked. "Yeah, a drink sounds pretty good. Lead the way, Arc."

Slowly, the two of them turned and left the park, hand in hand. A moment later, Kohaku arrived on the scene.

"My, my," she heaved a sigh. "Just a little too late."

"Kohaku," from behind her strode up Akiha, her clothes slightly torn. "Where's nii-san?"

"Well, according to the tracker, he's headed for Café Ahnenerbe right now," Kohaku smiled. "And based on your presence here, I guess you managed to handle Sion-san too?"

"Yes," Akiha heaved a sigh. "She'll be fine tomorrow morning."

"Good, good!" Kohaku smiled. "So I guess your usefulness has ended, Akiha-sama."

"What? Kohaku, you-"

From the trees, two more Mech-Hisuis emerged, their hands reaching out to seize Akiha's arms and hold her in place.

"Kohaku! You betrayed me?"

"Fufufufu," Kohaku laughed. "I've already gotten the potion, Akiha-sama. And almost everyone else has been incapacitated in one way or another. I no longer have any need to worry about rivals!"

"How dare you!"

"Didn't you say it yourself, Akiha-sama?" Kohakua spread her hands. "All's fair in love and war. You didn't think about how I wanted Shiki too, did you? But time is wasting! I know they're headed for Ahnenerbe. All I need to do is get there before them and make sure I add the potion to whatever it is they'll drink. Magical Amber, AWAY!"

And Kohaku fled into the night, leaving Akiha struggling against the two Mech-Hisuis.

* * *

_It's quiet,_ Shiki thought as he settled himself into his chair. _Almost no one here. I guess that means that I can…_

"Your coffees, sir, ma'am." Chikagi smiled and placed the mugs on the table, as both Shiki and Arcueid nodded their thanks.

Several tables away, Kohaku smiled as she watched the two of them raise the mugs to their lips, almost exploding with excitement. So close! Just a little more and…!

Both of them took long drinks before setting the mugs down on the table.

"… Hey, Arc." Shiki's voice was soft.

"Hm?"

"We've been together for… a while now, haven't we?"

"A couple of years." Arcueid nodded once.

"That's right," Shiki nodded. "It's gone by so fast – and there's been so much craziness… I'm really not sure what tomorrow will bring."

"I guess tonight was proof enough of that."

The two of them shared a brief chuckle before Shiki got serious again.

"But, even though I don't know what the future will bring, Arc… there's one thing I'm sure of."

Arcueid turned to face Shiki.

"I'm certain that… whatever ends happening to me in this life, I want you to be with me for it," swallowing, he left his chair and got down on bended knee. "Arcueid Brunestud… will you marry me?"

Kohaku's mouth had just about fallen open in shock. "This is… this is wrong!" she sputtered. "The potion was supposed to cancel their love, wasn't it? It… it didn't work!"

"Of course it did not."

Kohaku whirled. "Hi – Hisui-chan! When did you get here?"

"Just a moment after you, nee-san," Hisui said calmly as she raised a teacup to her lips.

"A- anyway! What's this about the potion not working? How come you're not surprised?"

"The potion did not work because you did not use the potion at all."

"W- what?"

"That bottle contains nothing more than perfumed water. As for the actual Anti-Love Potion, I destroyed it the moment I got my hands on it."

"What? But why? Hisui-chan! I thought you wanted Shiki-san too!"

Hisui's lowered her head, her pink hair falling to cover most of her face. "Arcueid-sama…" she whispered.

"Huh?"

"Arcueid-sama… Arcueid-sama is the only one who has ever liked my cooking! How could I possibly betray her trust after that?"

"H – Hisui-chan…"

Anything else Kohaku might have said was cut off by what had to be one of the loudest shouts of joy Kohaku had ever heard, and she turned back to see Arcueid tackling Shiki to the ground.

"Yes! Yes, Shiki, of course! Of course I'll marry you!"

As she watched Arcueid lock her lips with Shiki in what was a long and exceptionally messy smooch, Kohaku turned back to her own drink and lay her head on the table.

"Bummer." She muttered.

* * *

"And so Akiha-sama punished nee-san for her betrayal by burning her garden to the ground." Hisui concluded her explanation to Shiki.

"So that's what that wailing noise I heard last night was…"

"Yes," from beside Hisui, Kohaku nodded and smiled. "Luckily I was able to save most of the seeds, so I'll have it up and running again in no time!"

"Well, I have to go," Shiki nodded as he stood. "Arcueid wants my help with the planning for the whole thing."

"What, already?" Kohaku looked up.

"She's… pretty enthusiastic about the whole thing," Shiki said as he headed for the door. As his hand rested on the doorknob, he paused before turning back to Hisui. "Hisui… thanks."

Hisui blushed scarlet. "It… it was merely my duty, Shiki-sama."

As Shiki left the room, Hisui turned back to her sister. "Are you sure you will be all right, nee-san?"

"Oh, psh," Kohaku sighed and leaned back in her seat. "It's just a broken heart, Hisui-chan. I'll be over it in no time."

"Nee-san…"

"It was a pretty fun adventure, though," Kohaku laughed. "We should go on another one sometime. Just you, me, and Akiha-sama."

"… Yes, let us do so."

* * *

"Shikiii!" Arcueid hugged him tightly as he entered her room. "Where were you? I was wondering when you'd show up – I need help with all these plans!"

"Whoa!" Shiki blinked as he saw stacks upon stacks of paper cluttering up the room. "What are all these, Arc?"

"Oh, you know," Arcueid waved her arm carelessly. "Consultants, dress designers, party planners. I asked Sion for help and maybe she went a little overboard with gathering up the options."

"A little overboard is right." Shiki said as he began leafing through a piece of paper.

"But still, I guess it's better to be thorough," Arcueid turned to smile at him. "After all, this is going to be our Happily Ever After, isn't it?"

"…" Shiki nodded and smiled back. "Yes. Yes it is."

* * *

It's been a fun ride. Thanks for sticking with me, everything.

What's next? Well, in about a month's time or so… say hello to a certain Magical White Moon Princess. Hope you look forward to it!

THE END…?


End file.
